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DAR ES SALAAM. — A Tanzanian government senior official on Sunday directed the Tanzania Sisal Board (TSB) to assess sisal plantations across the country and revoke ownership from the investors who have failed to develop them.

William Lukuvi, the Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, said sisal plantations that will be repossessed by the government will be given to investors with the ability to develop them to acceptable levels.

“The government has no intention to chase away investors, rather it welcomes credible investors that will help enhance the country’s economic growth,” he said.

Lukuvi gave the directive in Ndungu ward in Kilimanjaro region when he addressed employees of LM Investment, a company that owns 3,000 hectares of sisal plantations in the region.

Lukuvi said he was not satisfied with the way the company was operating, noting that the government was not benefiting from sisal investments in the area. “The company owns 3,000 hectares of land but it pays a small amount of money to the government in terms of revenues which is not acceptable,” said the minister.

“TSB should ensure that sisal plantations are well supervised and enough revenue is collected to benefit the country. Investors who fail to develop their plantations should have their certificate of occupancy revoked,” said Lukuvi.

LM Investment director Omari Mndeme pledged to make major reforms in developing the plantations to increase production and revenue generation in order to benefit the country. “We promise to increase capital and production techniques. We will also give the youth long term employment contracts and ensure government revenues are increased,” said Mndeme. – Xinhua