Agro-processing News South Africa

Government presses for permanent solution to edible oil shortage

The government is committed to resolve, once and for all, problems pertaining to availability of edible oil in the country by undertaking major reforms in the production of palm, sunflower and sesame. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa disclosed this when he met and held talks with the Tanzania Ambassador to Malaysia, Dr Ramadhan Dau in Dodoma, yesterday.
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"We are planning to undertake major transformations in palm production by unplucking existing trees and planting new seedlings The plan is to carry out a campaign of planting new seedlings, to overcome the challenge of obtaining edible oil in the country," said Majaliwa.

Much as there are many palm trees which are being grown in the country, Majaliwa observed that their production is not encouraging. Based on the discovery, the government intends to improve its production by employing modern technology to bring substantial benefits to the nation and farmers. Besides palm production, Majaliwa noted that the government's commitment to improving the growth of other crops used for producing oil such as sunflower and sesame throughout their entire process from the preparations of farms to marketing.

He further observed that the country is still far behind in the production of seed crops used in obtaining oil, for that matter, the country needs more investors in the area. He, therefore, directed the ambassador to look for investors. "It is very possible to be self-sufficient in edible oils in Tanzania because we have a good fertile land and agriculture and on the other hand it is the main economic activity for the majority of the people. Soon, I am going to conduct a tour of Kigoma Region to encourage palm production in the area," he said.

Dau revealed that Malaysia is the leading producer of palm worldwide and engages in the manufacture of over 400 palm products which include fuel, oils and automobiles. The ambassador assured the Majaliwa that he is going to look for reliable investors from countries including Malaysia, Indonesia to invest in oil and sugar farms and factories.

Read the original article on Daily News.

Source: allAfrica

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