Tanzania: Govt Sets Strategies to Restore Sisal Production

By Daily News Reporter in Tanga

THE fifth phase government has been setting up a strategy to restore and strengthen key crops in

efforts to enable farmers have a wide choice of cultivations, which can boost their economy.

That was said yesterday here by Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa while launching Mkonge House in Tanga region, citing the strategic crops as cotton, coffee, tobacco, and cashew-nuts. The Premier further said: "We have now added sisal and palm crops.

I direct all regional authorities to suppopotential small, medium and large sisal farmers by counselling and motivating them, so that they fully engage in productive cultivations.

"In the 1960s, Tanzania ranked number one in sisal production in the world, producing over 235,000 tonnes... ... and earned about over 65 per cent of the foreign currency."

According to him, the production dropped to 36,000 tonnes and hence, forces the government to take appropriate measures, which would regain the crop's growth lost glory.

Attending the Mkonge House launch, a facility of the Sisal Board of Tanzania handed back to the citizens, the body informed the Prime Minister that they have been using the media to educate the public on best ways to grow the crop.

They noted to him that their campaign had also been educating the farmers on advantages and opportunities to exploit in sisal production areas of Tanga, Morogoro, Coast, Kilimanjaro and Shinyanga in order to raise their incomes.