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- Announcing the decision by the government to ban salt imports, the Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade Dr Ashatu Kijaji stated that the country has achieved self-sufficiency in the production of salt especially raw salt locally and therefore no longer required to import salt.
The Tanzanian government has decided to ban salt imports. Announcing the decision by the government to ban salt imports, the Minister for Investment, Industry and Trade Dr Ashatu Kijaji stated that the country has achieved self-sufficiency in the production of salt especially raw salt locally, and therefore no longer required to import salt.
After her recent visit to salt production areas in Mtwara Region, she said that the decision was based on the statistics available, which corroborated the view that the country has no shortage of salt. Tanzania started importing salt in 2008 following the emergence of El-Nino which impacted the local production of salt.
Also read;
https://trendsnafrica.com/tanzania-mainstreams-agriculture/
https://trendsnafrica.com/tanzania-rations-power-faced-with-severe-drought/
Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Salt Producers Association in Mtwara, Ms Hawa Ghasia urged the government to take necessary steps to ensure adequate availability of iodine. The lack of availability of iodine locally and the high importing cost of iodine hindered local production of iodized salt. Deputy Minister for Minerals, Dr Stephen Kiruswa, disclosed that the ministry was in talks with the Ministry of Health to start releasing iodine as a free chemical to be added in the salt produced in the country.
