MWANZA: President Samia has directed the Regional Commissioner, Amos Makalla, to ensure the effective utilization of Mwanza Airport for the transportation of fishery products.
Expressing her concern over Tanzanian products being transported through airports in other countries, she emphasized the need to optimize local infrastructure.
She made the remark at the handover ceremony of the fishing vessels in an event held on Tuesday at Nyamagana Stadium, Mwanza.
President Samia also directed the Regional Commissioner, with the assistance of Works and Transport Minister Prof Makame Mbarawa, to monitor and enhance the airport and fish storage infrastructure, particularly the cold room facilities, ensuring they are in optimal condition to facilitate efficient services.
"It is not pleasing to have the airport there, and yet Tanzanian products are transported through other countries," remarked President Samia.
She urged the beneficiaries of the distributed equipment to take responsibility for their maintenance, emphasizing their crucial role in enhancing the productivity of the fishing sector.
President Samia highlighted that the distributed vessels would empower fishermen to reach deeper waters, resulting in a higher yield of fish and ultimately boosting productivity in their operations.
Furthermore, she urged district and regional secretariats to support the companies and groups that received equipment, facilitating improved performance and increased productivity in the fisheries sector.
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Addressing the citizens of Mwanza, Dr Samia pledged to increase the allocation of equipment, ensuring that those who missed out in the initial phase could benefit in subsequent phases.
"I recognize that the demand is greater than what we have done today. As I said, my promise is that we are going to increase the number of equipment, and we will return in another phase to provide equipment to those who missed out," she assured.
President Samia emphasized the potential of modern fishing techniques, stating that the fishing cages distributed in one cycle could yield between 3 to 5.1 tons of fish.
She encouraged the adoption of modern fishing practices, noting that a fish farmer could harvest up to 20 kilograms in a one-square meter area, compared to traditional methods yielding only about one kilogram in the same space.
Turning her attention to infrastructure development, President Samia called for a reliable supply of electricity for processing industries, including fisheries processing plants.
She assured that efforts were underway to address power outages, with plans to reduce interruptions in the near future.
She however, urged those involved in fishing, aquaculture, and fish processing to work diligently, highlighting the significant global market for these products.
