CASSAVA growers have something to smile about after a Chinese investor expressed his intention to set up a food processing factory in the country, with the crop being the major raw material.
Shangdong Taianguiyu Food Co. Limited
expressed the intention to construct a food processing factory during a
meeting between its representatives and the Minister for Foreign Affairs
and East African Cooperation, Dr Augustine Mahiga on Tuesday, who is
currently on a four day official visit to China.
According to information provided by the
Tanzanian Ambassador to China, Mr Mbelwa Kairuki, the investor would
produce various foods for the Chinese market, including noodles from
cassava. In its determination to implement the project, the investor
would next March send a team of experts for a ground work in preparation
for setting up the investment.
During talks, the representatives told
Dr Mahiga that at initial stages of operation, the food factory would
demand 3,000 tonnes of cassava every day, creating a golden opportunity
for Tanzanian farmers. Dr Mahiga welcomed the investor’s plan, asking
them also to provide Tanzanian cassava growers with modern technologies
that would help them increase productivity.
Cassava is one of the crops that are in
high demand in China. A soup known as ‘Taopica Pudding’ is one of the
highly favoured soup by Chinese people made from cassava. The crop is
also important for the production of a number of strategic products such
as high quality flour, starch, animal feeds and paper pulp.
The Minister also met China’s Deputy
Chairman of the Planning Commission who assured him (Dr Mahiga), that
China would continue giving top priority to Tanzania in its programme of
moving its businesses and relocating industries to Africa.
The Deputy Chairman also assured Dr
Mahiga that the Asian nation, with second largest economy in the world,
would continue giving top priority to Tanzania in implementing projects
under One Belt One Road initiative that include construction of
infrastructure.
Dr Mahiga also gave a lecture at China
Foreign Affairs University during which he said Tanzania and China were
throwing their weight into implementing projects in the areas of roads,
railway, power, agricultural reforms, aviation (airports) and
industrialisation.
The visit by Dr Mahiga to China has
yielded positive results, bearing in mind that early Tuesday the
Minister met and held talks with Xian Qujiang, a potential investor who
is planning to invest in the tourism industry and other strategic
businesses. Xian Qujiang plans to construct a lodge in Serengeti, a
resort at Mount Kilimanjaro and a resort in Zanzibar.
Other proposed areas of investment
include establishment of domestic airlines for sightseeing and charter
service, a theme park at Mount Kilimanjaro and a luxury train service
for tourists on Tanzania, Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA).
The investor is also planning to
construct a tourist park at Bagamoyo Export Zone, record TV series and a
documentary on TAZARA and also come up with a publication and copyright
trading on Chinese books.
Dr Mahiga who is expected to wind up his
tour today, has been visiting the second largest economy at the
invitation of the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Wang Yi. Cassava farming
in the country received a major boost after the government recently
signed a deal with a Chinese firm worth over 2.5tr/- to commercialise
its farming.
The agreement was signed between the
government and the Chinese firm called Tanzania Agricultural Export
Processing Zone Limited and Epoch Agriculture (TAEPZ) and with the
technical assistance of ACAI. Under the agreement, China will consume
2.5 million metric tonnes of cassava from Tanzania every year.
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