Tanzania partners with Indonesia to increase palm oil production

Tanzania plans to cooperate with Indonesia in the area of palm oil cultivation so as to increase production and availability of cooking oil in the country.

The decision was made in a discussion between Tanzania’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Macocha Tembele, and the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA) leadership in Indonesia, where they outlined the various importance of strengthening bilateral ties in the area.

Speaking at the meeting, the Tanzanian envoy stated that the government has made various efforts to enhance oil palm cultivation which they believe once achieved it will decrease the reliance on foreign exchange used to import the palm oil.

“But also, we look into cooperating with Indonesia in areas of experience sharing and capacity building for our farmers and experts to gain the knowledge,” he stated.

On his part, the Director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (IPOA), Dr Dwi Asmono, assured Ambassador Tembele and his delegation that the association is ready to share experiences and build the capacity of Tanzanian farmers, experts, and researchers in palm oil cultivation.

Moreover, IPOA assured the envoy that they are going to sponsor both short-term and long-term training, including master’s degree programs, for five experts from the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) in Indonesia.

The discussions were attended by a delegation from the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), led by its Director General, Dr Thomas Bwana who are on a working visit in Indonesia with the aim of learning and gaining experience on Indonesia’s research and production practices in palm oil following an invitation from IPOA.

The cooperation between Tanzania and Indonesia in the palm oil agriculture sector has been further strengthened following President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s State visit to Indonesia last year, which led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration between TARI and IPOA.

Tags: cultivation, Indonesia, Production, palm oil, imports, cooking oil, Tanzania