THE Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba, has said it is too early to ban importation of edible oil, because the country’s crops for producing the oil is not sufficient to meet the needs of factories manufacturing the product.
Mr Mwigulu who was responding to a basic
question from Ms Jesica Kishoa (Special Seats – Chadema), said the
legislators should motivate farmers to cultivate more crops producing
edible oil, to ensure enough raw materials for local industries.
Ms Kishoa wanted the government to
reduce importation of cooking oil, so that local farmers cultivate
sunflower and palm trees to produce more and gain more from the local
market. Mr Nchemba said reducing importation of the cooking oil was not
viable at the moment, because the currently locally produced cooking oil
cannot meet local market demands.
The minister stated that imposing a ban
on importation of cooking oil may result in a scarcity of the commodity
causing a crisis in the country, but encouraged the legislators to
continue encouraging farmers to cultivate and produce more and the
government will come up with policy that will discourage importation of
the commodity.
Earlier, responding to the basic
question from the legislator, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Livestock
and Fisheries, Mr William Ole Nasha, said the government spends a lot
of its foreign currency on importing cooking oil, without giving
figures.
He said the government in collaboration
with the private sector had prepared strategies aimed at increasing
production of seeds for crops to produce edible oil, specifically
sunflower, whose production has been increasing every year.
“In Singida Region different groups have
been formed by the government institutions and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), whose objective is to increase value of sunflower
products and availability of agricultural inputs and markets.
He said Kigoma was the only leading
region in palm production, compared to other parts of the country,
adding that so far in Kigoma there are more than 18,924 hectares of palm
trees with a potential to produce 1.6 tonnes per hectare.
He noted that is still small compared to
the estimated four tonnes per hectare that can be produced in the
region. “We are now encouraging farmers to revive old palm tree farms
and increase cultivation of the crop and use quality seeds that can
produce high yields.
The region in collaboration with other
stakeholders has started producing high quality palm seeds, which will
be distributed to farmers who will be required to plant 137 seedlings
per hectare,” he said.
The deputy minister said farmers would
also be empowered so they can acquire palm oil manufacturing equipment,
adding that the central and local governments were calling on investors
to invest in the region for production of edible oil and other products
from the palm crop.
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