TANZANIA is planning to start manufacturing tractors and power tillers locally, a move that will greatly boost mechanisation of agricultural activities in the country.
The Minister for Industry and Trade, Dr Cyril Chami, said over the weekend that the programme would be implemented by the National Development Corporation (NDC).
Dr Chami said the plan follows invention of a new model of a tractor by the Arusha-based Centre for Agricultural Mechanisation and Rural Technology (CAMARTEC), which also recommended the machine of Tanzanian agricultural undertakings.
"We have tasked NDC to form a company that will oversee construction of the tractor manifacturing plant, in collaboration with the Kilimanjaro Machine Tools (KMT) which will develop it using its machines and technology," he said.
The minister was speaking at the inauguration of the NDC's Board of Directors that, he said, has been instructed to make sure the corporation took a leading role over the country's initiatives to attract local and foreign investments.
He said the board comprised highly reputed academics and has been assigned to act proactively for NDC to effectively address challenges the nation was currently facing including erratic power supply.
He told new members of the board that the president (Jakaya Kikwete) has a lot of confidence in them.
Dr Chami challenged the board to meet the people's expectations by working hard and dilligently.
"There is an incident that certain Chinese investors wanted to use resources of Liganga Coal Mine to get billions of money from the bank as capital.
"The president has cautioned that such investors should not be entertained," he said.
Apart from power projects in Ngaka and Liganga, the minister told the board to start preparations for harvesting and trading of soda ash in Lake Natron, despite protests by some environmental activists on the projects' effects on flamingoes.
He said the Lake estimated to have the capacity of generating over 1 million tonnes of soda ash annually and it would greatly boost the country's economy.
He urged the board to start implementantion of the project while ensuring protection of flamingoes.
In its five-year strategic plan, NDC in collaboration with the private sector aims at producing 1,600MW of electricity from Ngaka and Mchuchuma coal projects.
Earlier, the NDC's Board Chairman, Dr Chrisant Mzindakaya, said the country's "Kilimo Kwanza" agenda cannot be realised if it kept on importing expensive agricultural machinery.
He said the Institute of Resource Assessment (IRA) of the University of Dar es Salaam was conducting feasilibity studies on mining of soda ash at Lake Natron.
He also said development of Ngaka Coal Power Project in Mbinga District, Ruvuma Region was underway by Tancoal Energy Company.
He said the firm has already received clearance on environmental impact assessment and was now awaiting a mining licence from the ministry of energy and minerals.
Members of the new board include Professor Idris Kikula from the University of Dodoma, Professor Makenya Maboko from the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr Marcelina Chijoriga from the School of Commerce of the University of Dar es Salaam and Prof Ntengue Mdoe from Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA)
Others are Mr Gabriel Masenga from the Private Sector, Prof Abdulkarim Mduma from the Geologial Survey of Tanzania (GST), Ms Mme Lucy Sendo, a lawyer, Ms Elaine Sikazwe, Senior Economist, Mr Phocas Lasway from the Private Sector and Mr Gideon Nasari, NDC Managing Director.
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