Japan to pump in 1bn/- for agro-processing enterprises

The Japanese government has agreed to pump in 1bn/- to empower entrepreneurs who are engaged in agro-processing activities. Industry and Trade minister Dr Abdallah Kigoda disclosed this here on Tuesday when responding to a question by Seleman Jaffo (Kisarawe, CCM), who wanted to know government’s plans to establish a fruits processing factory in Kisarawe District. The MP had the view that the district is well-known for orange, mango and pineapple farming, but most of the fruits end up rotting before reaching the market.

Reacting, Dr Kigoda said his ministry in collaboration with Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) has sealed a pact with the Japanese government, which had agreed to provide 1bn/- as counterpart funding. Without divulging the exact time-frame for the fund to start its operation, the minister said that the amount will be deposited in the CRDB Bank and it will be used to provide soft loans to agro-processers through credit guarantee scheme. 

“When this fund will start its operations, Kisarawe District will also benefit whereby small-scale fruit processing factories will be built,” the minister said. He said so far the government hasn’t managed to get an investor in fruit processing industry in the district.

“But, we are advising farmers in Kisarawe to sell their fruits to the Bakhressa Fruit Processing plant located in Mwandege area in Mkuranga District,” Dr Kigoda advised, urging Kisarawe MP to team up with the government in looking for investors who will be interested in investing in the sector. 

The minister also pledged to send a team of experts from SIDO and Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) to go to the district and train agro-processers in better fruit processing techniques. “This will be one of the strategies to educate them on how to process fruits within their localities.”