AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Export and Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) has made significant strides in linking entrepreneurs with industries to supply raw materials in the county, guaranteeing them reliable markets and high returns to their products.
Investment Promotion Manager, Grace Lemunge said this at the ongoing Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) at Nyerere grounds along Kilwa Road in Dar es Salaam.
“We have been linking farmers and other producers of agricultural products with industries to supply raw materials under the EPZA in the country, thus assuring them of reliable markets,” she said.
She said participants and visitors in this year’s DIFT had been visiting the EPZA pavilion to seek information on how they could benefit from various incentives provided by the authority.
Ms Lemunge said the trade fair was an important opportunity for providing detailed information aimed at linking farmers and other entrepreneurs with markets particularly industries.
For example, EPZA used this year’s trade fair to link farmers and other potential producers of avocadoes from different parts of the country with a new industry in Arusha.
EPZA has been working closely with agro-industries particularly pigeon peas meant for india and Asian markets, linking them with farmers for obtaining raw materials.
EPZA has also linked sesame seeds processors with farmers and process it for foreign market particularly Asian and European countries.
The Investment Promotion Manager said further that 16 industries under the umbrella of EPZA participated in the 44th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair to provide information to members of the public on their operations.
Some of the industries are namely the $5m (11.5bn/-) investment DZ Cards Africa Limited located at Benjamin William Mkapa Special Economic Zones as one and only factory in the sub-Saharan Africa.
Offering a full range of products and services, DZ Card is the ideal partner for any Europay MasterCard and Visa card business. This is ultimately reducing the cost incurred for printing and transportation of currency notes.
The high tech factory will employ over 400 people when it becomes fully operational.
The other factory is Tanzania Tooku Garments Company Limited that deals in garment making meant for the USA market only. It employs over 3,000 people.
This year’s trade fair was an important opportunity to provide information to members of the public on Kurasini Logistics Centre that has temporarily fenced while a process of reinforcing the fence is in the pipeline.
The centre aims at establishing international tea and coffee trading centre to capitalise on immense opportunities from the two products.
“Currently, our tea is sold through Mombasa auctions and rebranded again and sold to other global markets, thus losing substantial revenues,” she said, adding that “we are working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture to make the initiative a reality.”
