Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Luhaga Mpina
AFTER five years of poor meat production at the Dodoma meat factory, the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Luhaga Mpina, has formed a five-member team to make a thorough assessment of the implementation of a contract between the government and the Tanzania Meat Company Limited (TMC).
The minister directed that by March next
year, the Kongwa Ranch in Dodoma Region should start the slaughter of
animals at the Dodoma abattoir, a government facility built between 2002
and 2003, and began operating in 2004.
The directorate of Tanzania Livestock
Marketing Project of the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries oversaw the
construction of the Abattoir whose operations were handed over to local
investors NICOL and National Ranch Corporation (NARCO) in 2008.
NICOL and NARCO subsequently formed a
company that operates the Dodoma abattoir under the name of Tanzania
Meat Company (TMCL) Limited. Mr Mpina issued the directive to the
company’s manager, Mr Nashon Kalinga at the weekend during his working
tour to inspect various livestock sectors at the Kongwa Ranch and the
Dodoma abattoir factory respectively.
“… I am directing this special committee
to go through the contract … now defunct … in case of any mishaps I
will disband the contract so that the factory can operate as required,’’
he said.
He added that the committee would engage
experts from his ministry, the office of the Attorney General, Treasury
Registrar and the National Livestock Ranch. The minister further
stopped the factory’s board meeting that was slated for December 8,
until the committee submits its report on the defunct contract.
Mr Mpina said the government could no
longer allow the factory to underperform when many other investors were
ready to take over. At the Kongwa Ranch, the minister directed the
authorities to increase the number of livestock from the current 8,647
to 20,000 by December next year.
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