Heed call to invest in lake zone

The call by Investment minister Angellah Kairuki for investments in animal feeds and edible oil in the Lake Zone requires close public/private sector collaboration to succeed.

Unlocking the investments potential in the Zone needs an all-embracing execution planning which would see to deliberate, concerted involvement in establishing functional industries that would boost the production and consumption of the envisaged products.

Ms Kairuki’s pledge to support investments in the two areas is indeed a good gesture. However, that pledge can only be realized through workable plans involving both the public and private sectors.

The fact that the Lake Zone has the highest livestock populations in the country is in itself a readily available opportunity for lucrative investments in animal feeds production. At 500,000 tonnes a year, edible oil demand is grappling with an annual supply gap currently standing at 320,000 tonnes – forcing Tanzania to spend over Sh190 billion in scarce forex to import edible oil annually.

Hence the dire need to invest in cooking oil production soonest – doing so in the Lake Zone, the country’s largest producer of cotton, whose seeds are a major source of edible oil.

Ms Kairuki’s call is not far off the mark, we say.