Indian envoy explores Mtwara potential for investment

Mtwara. The Indian High Commissioner to Tanzania, Binaya Pradhan, said his country was looking for potential investment in agriculture industries in Mtwara Region, which he described as rich in the sector.

Speaking during his recent visit to the region, the envoy said the primary goal of the trip was to look for opportunities for the agriculture industry and learn about other potentials.

He said knowing the available potential in Mtwara will help him advise the business community in India.

“Our visit targets familiarising ourselves with the region and understanding the place and its potential,” he said.

He said India has been importing cashew nuts from Tanzania, especially Mtwara, and coal in the last two years, and many Indians have invested in coal mining.

Mr Binaya said Indians coming to invest in the agricultural industry in Tanzania, particularly in Mtwara Region, could tap the opportunity considering the fact that the Indian diaspora has lived in Mtwara for more than a hundred years.

“That alone connects the two places historically and culturally,” he said, adding that even the cultivation of pigeon pea, which is one of the favourite foods among Indians all over the world, was part of the cultural connection.

Speaking on President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s recent trip to India, he said fifteen memorandum of understandings (MoUs) and agreements were signed between the two nations, with twelve of them relating to business and industry.

“We also discussed agriculture sector cooperation, especially supply of pigeon pea from Tanzania to India and cashew nuts processing,” he said.

While in Mtwara, the High Commissioner visited Mtwara port and held a business forum where he had discussions with traders and local authorities.

Speaking at the business forum, businessman Hasnain Murji urged the government to give Tanzanian business people the opportunity to sell peas in India.

“I know that India is also a major producer of peas, but not enough compared to the demand. Last year, we produced a lot of peas here in Mtwara, but there was no market,” he said.

The acting director of marketing at the Cashew nut Board of Tanzania (CBT), Mr Revelian Ngaiza, said 49,000 tonnes of cashew have been sold since the start of the new season in October. He said 103 buyers were registered this year compared to last year’s 44, and 80 percent of them are from India. “The arrival of the High Commissioner is giving us hope for continued partnership,” he said.