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Central corridor receives Swiss support
2007-02-28 10:05:01
By Felix Andrew
The Assistant Deputy Director General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Adrian Schalper, praised Rural Livelihood Development Company (RLDC) for its work in the central corridor through his government’s support.
Schalper spoke this in Dodoma on Monday after visiting the project sites in Dodoma rural district.
`RLDC work was worth the Swiss government and its tax payer`s money,` he said.
Schalper was accompanied by the Swiss Ambassador to Tanzania Emanuel Jenni as well as Swiss and Tanzanian officials. He commended RLDC for starting with a high note within a short period of time.
He appealed to the Tanzanian government to remove barriers hindering the development of agriculture and economy as a whole especially in the central corridor, saying it was a home to some of the poorest regions in Tanzania.
`For the economy to grow, the government must recognize the role played by farmers and businessman.`
He mentioned initial business cost, and market prices as some of the barriers. The SDC chief stressed that the company’s investment must benefit both farmers and entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, production of oil extracted from sunflower and simsim in the central corridor is expected to increase this year following a major government initiative in collaboration with other stakeholders.
Briefing the SDC head, chief executive officer of RLDC Charles Ogutu said that in order to raise production of sunflower oil, RLDC would work with about ten oil processing companies based within the regions of Dodoma and Singida so as to create market for the farmers.
`The region’s poor infrastructure compelled us to repair an 11kilometre road stretch and made it possible for farmers to reach the buying posts as well as creating competitive prices, thus reducing the post harvesting storage charges,` he said.
Research conducted by the company around the areas had found that most farmers lacked modern oil processing plants, thus forcing them to sell their products at lower prices.
He said that the organization`s main aim was to support rural and poor communities in the central corridor.
It is currently supporting producers in Dodoma, Singida, Morogoro and Shinyanga regions in Tanzania.
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