Posted on October, 21, 2021 at 09:18 am
Dar es Salaam. The Minister for Agriculture, Prof Adolf Mkenda is in Bujumbura, Burundi, on a follow up mission on a large fertiliser plant.
The fertiliser plant is being constructed by Itracom Fertiliser Limited at Nala Industrial area in Dodoma.
Itracom is a subsidiary of the Burundi based FOMI.
It is anticipated that the Dodoma factory will be a saviour to Tanzanian farmers, considering the fact that the $180 million investment will not only employ 3,000 people but upon completion of the ongoing construction, it will have the capacity of producing 600,000 tonnes of natural fertiliser per year. Construction will be completed in August 2022.
This will be more than Tanzania’s annual fertiliser demand which currently stands at between 400,000 tonnes and 500,000 tonnes per year.
“Currently, Tanzania imports 90 percent of its fertiliser requirement thus the need for the government to up local production of the product,” reads the statement.
During the visit, which ends today, Prof Mkenda will also exchange ideas with his Burundian counterpart on the subject of subsidy systems for the agricultural sector.
He said while initiatives were being taken to raise local fertiliser production, the government was also working hard to ensure that farmers were able to access the product at affordable prices.
During the visit, Prof Mkenda is accompanied by senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Source: The Citizen