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A. LE FLOCH
A newly established sugar processing factory in Babati is facing hitches as local sugarcane farmers are refusing to supply raw materials to the firm.
Based in Babati District, the Manyara Sugar Company depends on sugarcane raw material from the vast Kiru Valley in rural Babati where about 21 farms have been producing bumper sugarcane yields for years. The farms' produce has not only started to plummet, but owners do not want to sell sugarcane to the factory.
A statement from the factory management claims that the local growers in the area wanted to be shareholders in the new factory but being pilot project, Manyara Sugar was not yet in a position to offer shares to over 20 individuals.
Pratap Sisodiyah, one of the 'trio' directors of Manyara Sugar said his two partners and himself had high hopes when they came up with the idea of establishing the factory in the vicinity in December 2005, but the current situation seems to be less promising as far as issues of raw material availability were concerned.
The factory suspended production last December but intends to resume activities next September when sugarcane yields from the firm's own farms are expected to increase.
Manyara Sugar Factory which is currently on trial stage production is capable of churning out 2 tons of high quality sugar per day. "We are talking of a daily production of 400 bags of sugar each taking 50 kilograms," said Pratap.
The firm at the moment requires a workforce of about 500 direct production line employees and other 200 farm workers. At the moment the factory depends on sugarcane from three farms all owned by the company directors. "Over 50 percent of our employees will be women," said the co-director.
Pratap lamented the fact that his company had helped to provide employment to Babati residents yet they keep getting a sour deal. "Ninety percent of our members of staff are local youths," he pointed out.
Manyara Sugar factory is a brainchild of three Babati estate farmers, Dewsh Odedra, Suresh Odedra and Pratap Sosodyah. The trio planned to supply locally made sugar to the three Northern Zone regions of Arusha, Manyara and Kilimanjaro, once their factory becomes fully operational.
"We are aware that, Moshi has the large TPC factory but our carefully prepared sugar can withstand competition due to much higher quality and better taste," said the management.