Posted on January, 30, 2019 at 09:24 am
LOCAL sunflower manufacturers will have their chance to showcase their products and capture Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) market through an exhibition to be held in northern Mozambique next September.
Tanzania Trade Development Authority Coordinator SADC Sunflower Export Promotion Project, Gertrude Ngweshemi said in Dar es Salaam last week that the exhibition is aimed at opening up the regional market to locally processed sunflower oil where demand is high.
Ngweshemi said the exhibition will involve at least 10 big local sunflower manufacturers which will showcase their products in northern Mozambican town of Nampura. She added that after the Nampura sunflower fair, a similar event is scheduled for the Mozambican capital, Maputo later this year.
"Demand for locally produced sunflower is high in SADC region and as Tantrade, we want to exploit this opportunity. We believe that if we will grab the SADC market , our manufacturers and the government will both benefit,” he said.
One of the sunflower manufacturers who is expected to participate in the Nampura fair, Leo Lee of Sunbelt Company Limited hailed Tantrade for the initiative which he said will promote the industry and grow it rapidly.
"This is good as it will help local companies export their products to other countries, especially the SADC market hence needs to be encouraged, " Lee noted.
He however pointed out that Tantrade should assist local manufacturers lobby government to have standard taxes paid by all sunflower factories unlike the current system which imposes value added tax on some while others do not pay.
"The sunflower industry in the country is big but the government must make it fair by levelling the playing field,” he argued.
Lee also disclosed that Sunbelt is looking for markets of its products in foreign markets such as SADC because it will help, increase production and revenue.
"We have modern equipment which processes and packages for any market in the world that gives us confident of selling in SADC and other blocs,” the Sunbelt chief noted.
Source: IPP Media