Posted on October, 25, 2018 at 10:48 am
THE government has been advised to re-define rural electrification among other factors following an assessment of economic implications related to accessibility of affordable and reliable energy in agri-business in Southern Highland Regions.
The advice was contained in some of the recommendations presented by a Private Consultant, Mr Alphonce Thomas at a validation workshop organised by the Southern Agricultural Growth Corridor of Tanzania (SAGCOT) following a study to identify main challenges related to access of energy among small, medium and large agribusiness in Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya and Songwe regions.
He said much as priority of electricity has been focused on social services, time is up to keep a close eye on economic productive areas, agri-business being among the top.
Mr Thomas said electricity as an output requires another application to convert into economically useful service as the cost of acquiring the electrical equipment can be prohibitive to the small and medium agri-businesses.
The findings also recommend for ways to tap the local potential sources of energy as it will help both to expand the existing energy supply while simultaneously developing new energy sources.
The assessment as well called for a subsidized electricity connection cost as it was clear that it was an obstacle for many small and medium agri-businesses in the surveyed areas, as they could not afford the connection cost particularly constructing their own lines.
Source: Daily News