PM: Time is up for wearing mitumba

Dar es Salaam. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa says the time has come for Tanzanians to do away with used clothes because of the existence of a number of textile mills in the country.

The Prime Minister has also said that the presence of the textile will help cotton farmers to have a reliable market hence calling upon them to grow cotton in abundance so that the textiles sector could be fed with sufficient raw materials.

Majaliwa made the statement on Saturday when he visited Namera Group of Industries (T) Ltd, which is engaged in manufacturing textile goods at Gongo la Mboto and Nida Textile Mills (T) Ltd of Ubungo, both are located in Dar es Salaam.

He said that textile in the country was a testimony that the country was in the process of doing away with the use of second hand clothes, because various types of garments would be made in the country at affordable prices.

PM Majaliwa also explained that currently buyers of cotton had no reason of selling the commodity outside the country and instead, he said, they were supposed to sell it to the local textiles so that the latter could manufacture enough garments for sale in the country at affordable prices.

“All cotton can be processed in the country. So, there is no need of selling it outside the country. My call to farmers is that they should cultivate enough cotton because there is a reliable market for them and this is the destination of the mitumba journey.”

Earlier, Mr Majaliwa visited Lake Cement Plant that produces Nyati cement, whereby he lauded all investors in the country for supporting the efforts of President Dr John Magufuli in turning Tanzania into an industrial economy.

The Prime Minister also called upon all owners of industries in the country to ensure they gave a priority to employing residents living nearby to the industries including paying taxes on time and at the appropriate rate.