DAR ES SALAAM, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Tanzania Irrigation Commission needs about 4.5 billion U.S. dollars to renovate 1,980 dormant irrigation schemes across the nation by 2035, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Eliakim Chitutu, the Director General of the state-owned Tanzania Irrigation Commission, said renovation of the irrigation schemes were among priorities identified in the nation's five-year development plan and the revised irrigation master plan.

He said out of 2,940 dormant irrigation schemes in the country, 960 had been revived, adding that the target was to ensure the remaining schemes were renovated or improved to enable them contribute to the national food security.

Chitutu said Tanzania has a total of 29.4 million hectares for irrigation but most of them were not being irrigated because of worn-out irrigation system.

He said up to June this year, only 475,052 hectares had been developed for irrigation, so far contributing 24 percent of food in the country.

Chitutu said poor participation by the private sector in the irrigation sector was a roadblock towards attaining an improved irrigation plan.

The official suggested the application of public private partnership in the development of new irrigation schemes.

On September 26 this year, the Tanzania Agricultural Development Bank and the Tanzania Irrigation Commission signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the two institutions cooperating in protecting and modernizing water sources and irrigation schemes.