By ADAM IHUCHA--
Local authority in northern Tanzania plans a major land reform, a highlight of which will be
a seizure of big tracks of lands under investors and
distribute to the land hungry villagers.
Meru District Council in Arumeru district, Arusha
region, says it intends to repossess all
underutilized farms from investors in a fresh drive to address historical injustice
in Meru community.
There’s general feeling
that there have been unequal access to agricultural land in Meru, where a small
number of companies and individual own vast acreages of land, while the majority
farm in very small plots.
As a result, lately, villagers have been attacking
farms, saying their productive land has been benefiting rich people, at the expense
of thousands of genuinely natives who are landless.
Fresh data indicates that there are nearly 2,300 acres lying
idle or underutilization under the
slopes of Mount Meru, amid growing landlessness.
Given the jobless growth and the spurt of violence by
landless people in Meru, the local authority leaders now feel that the idle farms
should be used to reduce poverty and create jobs.
Meru District Council Chairman, Mr Godson Majola confirmed that
the land reform would be headed by the land ownership audit, which is currently
underway.
Meru land audit
exercise, among others, targets the famous Dolly Estate and Karangai sugar plantation
with 1,000 and 600 acres respectively.
Mr Majola said that
preliminary report shows that the two major farms are either underutilization
or their use plan have been changed contrary to the law of the land.
These farms were meant for agricultural undertakings in a
bid to maximize production; both of food and export crops and in the process
would reduce poverty and create jobs.
It is understood, a better part of Dolly estate has since
been turned into golf, wildlife and a real estate with a number of privileged
people erecting exclusive posh houses.
The
estate is situated in 1,000 acres, approximately 25 km from the tourism
stopover of Arusha, and a similar distance from Kilimanjaro International
Airport.
Golf
and wildlife estate comprises an 18-hole championship golf course set within an
area of outstanding natural beauty, overlooking the Mount Kilimanjaro and Meru.
“We will issue a 90 days notice of intent to revoke the
lease after that we will write to President Jakaya Kikwete to repeal the lease.
Idea is to lease some of these idle farms to the landless people in a bid to
defuse tension and others to serious investors who can make the best use of it” he explained.
Other farms under scrutiny include
Karam estate with 300 acres, flycatcher farm with 100 acres and Oscar farm
covering 150 acres.
“It is a national disgrace that so much land is lying idle
and not being used while our youths are jobless,” Mr Majola noted.
One of farm owner who spoke on condition of anonymity argues
that farm development is a process and not an event where immediately after one
acquires it should turn into agriculture next morning.
“Commercial farming involves a lot of factors such as market
fluctuations of what you want to produce. Sometimes you plan to grow coffee,
but all of sudden the market floods so as serious investor you can’t just go
ahead to put money into a crop that you don’t know where to sale” the investor said.
With regard to the transfer, the investor says the Tanzania
land Act of 1999 allows land transfer and even change of land use plan.
Indeed, Tanzania Horticultural Assocition (TAHA)
Chairman, Mr Eric Ng’imaryo said the Meru land repossession faces an uphill
task as the investment law protects bona fide investors.
“Its not easy option to reclaim a land
from investor who acquired the asset legally” noted Mr Ng’imaryo who is a
prominent lawyer.
The Tanzania Investment Act section 22 (b)
provides that no person who owns, whether wholly or in part, the capital of any
business enterprise, shall be compelled by law to cede his interest in the
capital to any other person.
Nearly 80 percent of Tanzania’s total
horticulture greenhouses are on the slope of the splendid Meru Mountain in Meru
District, Arusha region.
This is due to its large size and varied
landscape that provides ideal water, soil and climate conditions for a complete
range of floriculture and horticulture productions.
Experts say that Mount Meru slope’s
temperate highlands are ideal for European flowers and vegetables, while
tropical lowland zones are superlative for warm-climate fruit and flowers.
Executive Director for Tanzania Horticulture
Association (TAHA) Jacqueline Mkindi said her members are operating in Meru
land legally and any attempt to temper with them will cost the country dearly.
Meru with a 20 horticulture farms worth
nearly $600 million, employs thousands of local people, Ms Mkindi said, adding
that TAHA as an apex body, is watching closely a change in the political wind
in Meru.
Horticulture, the third major foreign
currency earner after mineral and tourism, earned the second East African community (EAC) largest economy, nearly
$1.4 billion in the past four years, cementing its position as the third
largest foreign currency earner.
In 2009, TAHA boss says, the industry brought home a total of $3010million,
while in 2010, the fastest growing sub-industry earned the country $330million.
In the year 2011, horticulture fetched $350million and in 2013 the
industry earns $374 million. The sub-sector also created nearly 467,000 direct
employments to local people.
Flowers account at least 80 per cent of
horticultural exports from Tanzania. Besides Western Europe hub, some few
companies have secured markets in the Mediterranean region, the Middle East and
the US.
Growth of the industry is recorded at
about 10-13 percent per year, which is one of the fastest growing sectors of
the economy.
The industry’s vision is to attain the
level of income generated from horticultural businesses at a rate of $1-2billion
per year in the next three years.
This will also increase employment by
55 percent and increase other economic activities resulting from horticultural
industry growth.
0 comments:
Post a Comment