Minister looks forward to stronger ties with Singapore
Sunday, 13 November 2011

A deputy minister said last Friday he was optimistic that Singapore would forge stronger business links with Tanzania.

His remarks follow the visit of a delegation from that country interested in investing locally. The deputy minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr Pereira Silima, said the two countries have mutual interests to develop economic relations for the benefit of their respective economies.

He was speaking in Dar es Salaam shortly after meeting members of the delegation that has been touring several areas targeted for investment.

According to Mr Silima, the delegation led by the country’s Trade and Industries minister, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, was briefed on Tanzania’s diverse investment opportunities. These include agriculture, transportation, energy and port development.

Earlier, the minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Prof Jumanne Maghembe, assured the team about Tanzania’s conducive investment environment. He singled out agriculture as an area with a lot of potential. (The Citizen Correspondent )

THE TRUE FACE OF KILIMO KWANZA

When Stewart Middleton and Sarah Hermitage purchased the lease to Silverdale & Mbono farms they had more than seventy years experience of living, working, and farming in Africa. They strategically planned the rehabilitation of the farms to optimize their profitability and sustainability with a comprehensive agribusiness plan.

At the heart of his plan was a desire to rehabilitate the property into a sustainable and profitable operation, to train and develop a skilled workforce that would persist long after their stewardship of the land. Their many years of experience in developing and managing farming projects within complex social, legal, and regulatory environments in developing economies in Africa and elsewhere made them the ideal candidates to revive the property.

Within the first six months, Stewart’s farming skills, significant financial investment and the creation and management of a dedicated staff, transformed the farms from derelict and commercially-unproductive land into a productive farming operation employing over 150 Tanzanians from the local community; growing and exporting more than eight tons of fine green beans to Europe weekly during harvest; and the first farms in Tanzania to earn EUREPGAP accreditation, a valuable farm classification that would allow us to tap into the profitable European Union market.

They taught and encouraged staff to adopt progressive farming techniques; equipping them for the future in fact, did everything the Tanzanian government espouses its commitment to in terms of foreign development in the country.

Albeit on a small scale, they had the opportunity to provide truly sustainable development in Tanzania and to improve the lives of the poor. The farm is now unproductive supporting a ‘favoured corrupt few’ by destructive slash and burn farming methods.

THE FARMS AS DEVELOPED BY THE INVESTORS