Indian government still considering phase two tractor project support

BabuK · 2013-03-05T16:07:47+00:00

The India High Commission to Tanzania has disclosed that the Indian government has not rejected the latter governments request for the second phase of the Kilimo Kwanza tractors proposal, insisting that the offer is still under consideration. In a statement, the High Commissions Second Secretary, Gopal Krishna Pant, said that the government of Tanzanias request for a second line of credit (LOC) to finance tractors to be purchased from India will not be considered in the financial year of 2012/13 and hence the proposal is kept in abeyance. Pant also pointed out that out of the USD1.2bn budgetary allocation for LOCs in all African countries, a sum of USD178.125m or nearly 15 per cent of the total allocation was allocated for Tanzanias water development projects for last year alone. When reached to speak about the second phase of the project, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives Acting Director for Farming equipments Eng Lymo Mark said that the first phase report was submitted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Indian embassy so that the High Commission go through it after selling all 1,846 units of tractors. The government through Sumsa-JAKT has already presented a report to Indian embassy since December last year and asked for another 3,000 units that will keep supporting the countrys Kilimo Kwanza initiatives, Eng Lymo noted. Adding, The Indian Prime minister who visited our country recently promised to support the agriculture sector and he said their country will keep supporting Tanzania so as to see the green revolution is achieved, said Lymo. However, speaking last year when inspecting JKT Kilimo Kwanza project tractors at SUMA JKT premises, the former Indias acting High Commissioner to Tanzania Hemalata Bhagirath said that India would bring both technical and material support to improve the agriculture sector and assure that increased production paves the way for the envisaged green revolution. We will bring technical and material support from India to assist farmers in Tanzania and we will also ensure availability of food, she commented. Bhagirath also noted that India would bring agricultural experts to train farmers in the country during which the latter will be trained on best methods of agriculture with a view to improve productivity. We have plenty of agricultural experts, engineers and technicianssome of them will come to Tanzania and train farmersgenerally, the initiative intends to improve production and lives of people, she said. During the first phase all tractors were sold out because farmers responded positively after price reduction. The bulk importer of tractors from India was charging between 25m/- and 45m/- per farm-track tractor but the price was later lowered to 16m/-. At the moment, about 70 per cent of Tanzanias total arable land is cultivated by the hand hoe, 20 per cent by oxen and plough and only 10 per cent by tractors. The governments intention is to move farmers from the hand hoe to modern farming equipment. SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Thread starter BabuK
Start date Mar 5, 2013

BabuK

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Indian government still considering phase two tractor project support

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