CBP inks 200m/- deal in strategic plan

The Cereal and Other Produce Board of Tanzania (CPB) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with KPMG for a strategic plan to commercialise the crop board activities.

Inking the 200m/- deal in Dar es Salaam recently, CPB Acting Director General, Mr John Maige and the multinational professional services network-KPMG Director, Mr Adolf Boya agreed to task the latter to prepare the board’s strategic plan that would be in implementation from July 2023 to 2028.

“We have signed this contract with KPMG believing that we are going to get a strategic plan that is going to make us as a government institution capture the business of purchasing crops so that our farmers quickly benefit in selling their produce locally and in all East African countries to expand the scope of markets.

We want the farmers in the country to grow crops in abundance because through us there is a reliable and ready market internally and in neighbouring countries,” Mr Maige said.

Addressing journalists Mr Maige noted that the contract would enable them to reach many farmers, so their goal of buying and storing more than 100,000 tonnes of the cereals would be met.

Elaborating, he further said they inked the deal with KPMG due to their great ability to prepare a strategic plan, share tax information and issue audits and advice, which professionally guide a company or institution to forge ahead according to their goals.

He said that through the contract, they will be able to address some challenges in the agricultural sector and see to it that farmers are liberated in July 2023 to 2028 strategic plan.

He said that as experts in the business, CPB expects to buy crops such as barley, rice, soybeans, cassava, corn, and sorghum, sorghum among others, which have an instant market.

In addition, Mr Maige said that CPB has warehouses in five zones of Arusha, Dodoma, Manyara, Iringa and Mwanza, thus urging farmers to use them effectively.

On his part, the Director of KPMG, Mr Adolf Boya has said that the strategic plan will provide the correct interpretation of the national development vision, adding that they have long-term experience in preparing such work plans.

He added: “We have been given three months to complete this strategic plan of CPB. I want to promise that we will do it with quality in mind so that CPB can achieve its goals.”

When speaking about CPB’s move to build silos in every district and ward for farmers to store their crops, the CPB Chairman, Mr Salum Awadh made an assurance that such granaries would motivate farmers to produce and address post-harvest losses of their produce.

In addition to enhancing the performance of the board, he said they will give priority to contract farming to extent that once a farmer has supplied his produce, his payment would be issued within a maximum of three days.

He added: “On top of that according to our contract, we shall also provide them with transport to ferry their produce to our granaries.