Tanzania will soon become the first East African country to produce and
export chocolates, after an investment by Swiss company, Neuchatel Chocolate.
The move will also bring down prices of chocolate, a product
loved in urban centres, especially by children and youths.
The Export Processing Zone Investors Facilitation Officer, Mr Lameck
Borega, said at the ongoing 36th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF),
on Thursday that the Neuchatel Chocolate, a Swiss chocolate making company, is
to open base at the EPZ in September where it will make chocolates for export
to Swiss markets.
“The factory will either be in the Benjamin Mkapa EPZ or in other
zones,” he said. The Company has already made local chocolate samples,
currently being exhibited at the 36th DITF.
“It will be the first company based
in East Africa to make chocolates,” he said.
He said Neuchatel was currently registering a local company and would
start production in September.
“We are awaiting their business plan.They say
they have seen that we have good investment policies and business environment
and should make use of it,” he said.
He said that for the first time, consumers are going to have chocolate
made locally with the label, ‘quality chocolate from Tanzania.’
“It will be
branded, best chocolate from Tanzania and sold to external markets,” he said.
He said prices of chocolates will go down in the domestic market since the EPZ
firms were allowed to sell 20 per cent of their products locally.
“For EPZ made products, they get price incentives, meaning that for us
who expect to buy it locally,it will be at lower prices, “ he said.
Other
effects, he said, would be foreign exchange saving and over 100 workers are to
be directly employed and new technology to make chocolate is going to be
transferred. Neuchatel Chocolates is a premium Swiss chocolate producer.
Source: The Daily News, http://www.dailynews.co.tz
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