PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has directed the Regional Commissioners (RCs), District Commissioners (DCs) and leaders of political parties to use their platforms in promoting the cultivation of oil palm so as to boost the production of crop in the country.
Mr Majaliwa made the directives yesterday, during palm oil stakeholders including farmers, seedling producers, palm oil producers, village leaders, financial institutions leaders, districts and councils leaders meeting in Kigoma Region.
“All regional, district and political parties’ leaders have platforms to meet the citizens at all times. Let’s go and encourage them to cultivate the palm oil because it is a crop that will provide them with money over a long period of time,” Mr Majaliwa said.
The meeting was also aimed at discussing the challenges facing farmers engaged in the cultivation of crop, and ways to ensure the country has a sufficient amount of palm oil; a move that Mr Majaliwa said will help the nation to avoid importing large amounts of edible oil.
In recent years, the government has intensified production of palm tree to halt the importation of edible oil in the country. Annually the government spends over 470bn/- to import cooking oil.
Equally, Mr Majaliwa tasked the RCs and DCs especially those from regions which famously engage in the production of palm trees to act immediately and increase cultivation so as to boost the farmers’ incomes and that of the country at large.
He also said that production of palm oil will bring employment opportunities through the factories that will be opened in the respective regions.
“Palm oil is an opportunity to bring industries here in Kigoma and other regions that will cultivate this crop,” he stressed.
The Kigoma Region accounts for more than 80 per cent of the palm oil produced in the country and has the potential to make Tanzania one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of the crop due to its fertile soils and weather.
Speaking on the demand for cooking oil in the country, the Prime Minister said: “Right now the demand for cooking oil in the country is more than 650,000 tonnes annually while the production is estimated at only 290,000 tonnes.
“An amount of 360,000 tonnes equivalent to 55.4 per cent is imported from abroad and costs the government approximately 470bn/- every year. We need the money to be used for the country’s development,” he said.
The PM added that the government is determined to end the problem of unnecessary shortage of cooking oil in the country, especially by making major reforms in the crop’s production including palm oil.
“These reforms go hand in hand with the planting of new improved seedlings that have high yields of oil. The residents of Kigoma should decide right now to plant palm trees diligently,” he insisted.
The government took deliberate steps to include the palm oil crop in the list of strategic crops, besides others like cotton, tobacco, coffee, cashews, tea, sisal, grapes and sunflowers.
On his side, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Anthony Mavunde said that the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) and other private companies have come up with the production of quality palm seeds called TENERA, which produce oil three times more than the DURA type which is used by approximately 90 per cent of farmers.
“Until January, 2023, TARI in collaboration with a private company has produced a total of 14.14 million seeds, where out of the figure some 11.59 million seeds have been produced by TARI alone and 2.54 million seeds by private companies including FELISA, NDF and Yangu Macho Group Ltd,” he noted.
Elaborating, he added that out of the 14.14 million seeds that were produced, 9.60 million seeds have been distributed to various institutions including JKT and Prisons and all eight councils in Kigoma Region.
His list also cited some 25 councils outside Kigoma, TARI centres and Agricultural Seed Agency (ASA).
He further added that until January, 2023, a total of 3,122,566 seedlings were sourced out of which, some 1,968,087 seedlings were distributed to farmers inside and outside Kigoma Region.
