Parks planned for women food processors

Dar es Salaam. Women food processors will now have places to market their products after Trademark East Africa announced a plan to construct food parks.

Trademark East Africa (TMEA) through its project with Tanzania Women Chamber of Commerce (TWCC) has announced a tender, calling for bidders for conducting a feasibility study on development of food parks in the country.

The tender also seeking a transaction advisor to advise Tanzania Food Processors Association of Women Entrepreneurs (Tafopa) on the development of appropriate framework to develop the food parks.

Food parks are comprehensive food processing aimed at establishing a direct linkage from farm to processing and then to consumers markets, through a network centres and primary processing centers. Earlier, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said at the women food processing stakeholders meeting that industrial parks were underway through President’ Office –Regional Administration and Local Government.

She made the remarks when responding to a demand raised by women food processors who asked to establish industrial parks furnished with modern process of equipment for them to increase productivity and compete locally and globally.

Ms Hassan further explained that the government was working with district and regional councils to ensure that industrial areas and business premises are allocated.

“We understand the challenges facing small and medium sized enterprise and we will work on them. We are also discussing with government to trim down taxes on entrepreneurs’ particularity food processors,” she said.