Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Minister for Agriculture, Professor Adolph Mkenda (pictured), has directed the Cereals and Other Produce Board of Tanzania (CPB) to enter into a contract with big sunflower farmers in efforts to reduce the shortage of edible oil in the country.
Equally, the minister asked the board to include in the much-anticipated contracts smallholder farmers of sunflower, with a condition that they should be members of the cooperative societies.
In the contract, according to Prof Mkenda, the board in collaboration with the Tanzania Agriculture Research Institute (TARI), would be responsible in producing appropriate and well researched seedlings that would bring the best products.
In the same vein, Prof Mkenda said his ministry will be providing extension officers as part of the contract, who will help in ensuring that the end products are proper.
The move, he said, aimed at ensuring that the country was getting rid of importing oil from outside the country. Statistics in the ministry show that Tanzania spends a lot of money to import edible oil from outside the country, especially from Malaysia.
The minister was speaking at an official launching of two industries for maize milling and sunflower processing which are under the supervision of CPB.
Prof Mkenda lauded CPB for a good job in controlling and managing cereals in the country as he assured the nation and the entire world that Tanzanian products were free from aflatoxins, inviting businesspeople to procure the country’s products. Earlier on CPB Director General, Dr Anselm Moshi said CPB currently owned the sunflower processing industry which had the capacity to produce 40 tonnes per day.
“In order to have enough raw materials, CPB signed contract farming with farmers in Morogoro, Singida, Dodoma and Simiyu, and in the similar exercise the board has enabled farmers to get the best seedlings, fertilizer and other agricultural inputs,” he noted.
