THE government has been asked to attract more investors to manufacture raw materials used by factories locally to boost industrial production.

Prasad Kumar, chief executive officer of Furniture Centre LTD, made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday during the commemoration of Labour Day.

Citing production of furniture, he said it does not solely rely on timber alone which is abundant in Tanzania but also a vast array of materials that have to be imported because they are not available in the country.

“The working environment in Tanzania is very conducive. However, if you want to manufacture furniture you need glue, screws, leather and other products. The government needs to attract more investments to plug the gap of industrial raw materials that are imported in large quantities,” he said.

“For us, unavailability of raw materials is a major challenge as such circumstances force us to import materials necessary for our production.”

He added that the entry of investors in the country is not only vital for Tanzania’s economic growth but it can also boost the manufacturing sector as furniture products and other goods and services will be in high demand.

Kumar said that in the course of 68 years of the company’s operations, it has made contributions to the economy largely through creation of employment opportunities for Tanzanians and provision of skills.

“We also hire unskilled labour then we teach and train them in the art of carpentry and later they take up assistant roles, then supervisory roles and finally head of technicians. The saying that the furniture industry is a university is true. To contribute to the value chain, we have also hired more than 50 carpenters who make the furniture,” he said.

Kumar stressed the importance of protecting the environment against the impact of climate change, saying that industries dependent on timber as main raw material should also venture into tree planting to replenish vegetation to avoid environmental risks caused by harvesting of timber.

Ganesh Raghunathan, sales and marketing head at Furniture Centre, said the Labour Day celebration was hosted by the company in a bid to strengthen the bond between the firm and its employees who have contributed immensely to the growth and development of the company for the last 68 years.

“This event has provided us an opportunity to honour the hard work and dedication of our team members as we reaffirm our commitment to unity and excellence,” he said.

 “We are proud of the talent and passion displayed by our employees. Their unwavering commitment to excellence is at the heart of our success as a company and it is wonderful to celebrate their achievements on Labour Day.”