Stakeholders call to boost sunflower oil production

MOROGORO: STAKEHOLDERS in the sunflower value chain have called for stronger, targeted efforts to empower youth and women involved in sunflower farming, citing their critical role in boosting production and stabilising supply.

Enhanced participation and support would help ensure a consistent flow of raw materials to domestic cooking oil factories throughout the year, while reducing the government’s reliance on costly foreign exchange for edible oil imports.

The call was made by the Senior Trade Officer at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Mr Richard Pweleza, during a sunflower value chain stakeholders’ workshop organised by the Agriculture Markets Development Trust (AMDT), held recently in the Morogoro Region.

“Greater emphasis should be placed on empowering young people and women farmers to boost sunflower production, thereby strengthening the domestic supply of raw materials for edible oil processing industries,” he said.

He noted that the Ministry of Industry and Trade oversees sunflower development policies and, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, has recently formulated a national edible oil strategy focusing on two key crops, including sunflower.

“As we know, the ministry’s core mandate is policy formulation, and one of the policies currently under development is the sunflower development policy,” said Mr Pweleza.

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He explained that from 1996 to 2020, the ministry implemented a sunflower development strategy, which has since become outdated. Its key objectives had included job creation, economic transformation, improving the balance of payments, promoting environmental conservation and enhancing the capacity of emerging industries.

Despite these efforts, Mr Pweleza said, Tanzania ranked second in Africa in sunflower production in 2018, after South Africa, yet the country continues to import large quantities of cooking oil annually. He revealed that domestic industries currently meet only about 30 per cent of national edible oil demand, with the remaining 70 per cent imported resulting in substantial foreign exchange losses.

“In light of this situation, the sunflower development strategy has been identified as a priority under the National Development Vision 2050,” he said, adding that its effective implementation is crucial to achieving self sufficiency in cooking oil production.

The Head of Operations at AMDT, Mr Godwin Mende, said the workshop brought together stakeholders to discuss the development of the sunflower value chain, address existing challenges and tackle cross border non-tariff barriers that hinder trade, with the aim of identifying practical solutions.

He explained that the workshop was organised by AMDT with financial support from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) through the Youth Entrepreneurship for the Future of Food and Agriculture(YEFFA) project, which focuses on youth empowerment in agriculture.

“This forum provides youth and women a platform to voice the challenges they face, particularly non-tariff barriers in the sunflower subsector,” said Mr Mende.

He emphasised that Tanzania has sufficient arable land and human resources including youth and women who, if adequately supported, can significantly boost sunflower production and help the country achieve self-reliance in edible oil, reducing dependence on imports.

Mr Mende identified key areas for intervention to enhance youth participation, including access to affordable financing to enable young entrepreneurs to run businesses or establish sunflower oil processing plants.

He stressed that access to high-quality sunflower seeds is critical for improving agricultural productivity and oil output. By collaborating with stakeholders like the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), AMDT aims to introduce improved seed varieties with higher oil yields, reflecting a strategic approach to enhance both farm-level efficiency and the broader agribusiness value chain.

Such initiatives not only support food security and income generation for farmers but also contribute to strengthening Tanzania’s position in regional edible oil markets.

He added that the availability of quality inputs would enable farmers to increase productivity, strengthen business sustainability, and contribute to the growth of the edible oil industry and national economic development.