MINISTRY of Industry and Trade has advised Small Industries Development Organisation (SIDO) to expel tenants who fail to pay rental fees on time.
Deputy Minister, Mr Exaudi Kigahe, said rent defaulters are back-peddling SIDO’s efforts of empowering other small entrepreneurs to use the opportunities in setting up factories.
“Tenants should pay rental fees on time or be expelled… Get rid of them. Rent those who are ready to observe your rules and regulations,” said Mr Kigahe, when touring SIDO’s activities in Shinyanga during his one- week working visit of Dodoma, Shinyanga, Geita and Mwanza regions.
Mr Kigahe reaffirmed the government promise to continue assisting SIDO to provide better services to SMEs and improve road, water and electricity infrastructure in industrial areas in Shinyanga to attract investors and promote productive businesses.
He also appealed to the owners of the vegetable oil processing industries to start contract farming with farmers to enable them produce more and address the challenge of shortage of raw materials.
Deputy Minister and his delegation in Shinyanga visited Gilitu Enterprises, a sunflower and cotton seed processor, Katemi Group that processes maize flour and rice, and Kizumbi Food Trading Company that processes maize flours.
Gilitu Makula, owner of Gilitu Enterprises, told the delegation that availability of raw material–sunflower and cotton seeds–remain a major challenge forcing them to operate at a quarter of their capacity.
Shinyanga Regional Acting Administrative Secretary, Bedavenerabilisy Chamatata said the region has 730 industries that employ 10,150 workers.
SIDO Director General, Prof Sylvester Mpanduji told the deputy minister that the region is one of the six centres in the country with state-of-the-art technology for producing machines in mass production.
SIDO Shinyanga provides a wide range of services including technical and technological development services, small rural industrial projects, training and consultancy.
Other services are extension services, marketing and information with financial services for small entrepreneurs to develop the industrial and commercial sector hence contributed to economic growth.