Tanzanian Plantation Politics

Members of the Tanzanian Parliamentary Committee for Investment have called on the government to transfer ownership of the Muheza Rubber Plantation in Tanga Region to General Tyre factory in Arusha to raise rubber production and create more job opportunities.

The MPs made the recommendation after visiting the factory and discussing how best to increase the supply of raw materials from within the country (as opposed to Malaysian sources), particularly from the rubber plantation in Muheza, the local Sunday Observer reported.

’’There is no justification for the factory to continue importing raw materials for manufacturing tyres from Malaysia when the same materials can be obtained locally,’’ noted the Committee’s Chairman, William Shelukindo.

He explained that production at the rubber plantation in Muheza has dropped drastically as there is no potential investor. ’’The Muheza farm has an area of 1,500 hectares but only about 300 have been put under production so far. The few citizens who are running it have failed to manage it so we really don’t see why it shouldn’t be given to General Tyre,’’ Shelukindo told the newspaper.