Dodoma Welcomes A New Participant In The Wine Industry
Posted on : Wednesday, 8th May 2024
The country's Centre for grape producing, the Dodoma regions, has seen a growth in the number of wine processing firms opening up shop. This trend has given grape producers hope.
Due to an absence of a guaranteed market for their produce, most grapes in the vines rotted in recent years, which worsened financial losses for the grape growers.
In order to do this, the government has been working to provide favorable conditions and policies that will encourage more domestic and foreign players to participate in the region's crucial socioeconomic sector.
The new wine plant in the region was officially opened over the weekend, bringing a number of victories to the nation's wine and grape enthusiasts.
The upgraded facility, known as the "Mkombozi Winery," is located in Mvumi Ward, on the outskirts of Dodoma Capital City and it can process 360 tonnes of grapes a year.
The factory's Executive Director, Mwanga Chibago, stated during the specially designed event marking the official opening of the cutting-edge facility that it began operations in 2022 with a modest profile and a processing capacity of 223 tonnes of grapes.
"When we first started, we made it through a lot of gloomy events like "thunder and showers," but now that the plant has succeeded in seeing the light of day, I'm standing here feeling really proud," he said.
He said that the company that creates the best wine brand, called "Mvumi Wine," which has a pleasant aroma and taste, collaborates with 200 grape growers in the region, which is around 42 km from Dodoma Capitals.
One of the main goals of this factory's construction, according to him, was to give grape growers more access to the market.
Chibago revealed that the plant can store roughly 555,000 litres of grape juice.
In the first year of the factory's operation in 2022, we processed 233 tonnes of grapes, or 223,000 kg, compared to the 362 tonnes, or approximately 362,000 kg, that the factory processed in the previous year.
Speaking about the successes since the factory opened for business, the director mentioned that they had gotten in touch with and worked with at least 200 farmers. As a result, the farmers have benefited in a number of ways, including having the opportunity to obtain capital loans from respectable financial institutions, particularly NMB Plc.
Furthermore, he stated that the factory, which has already received approval from the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), Business Registration and Licencing Agency (BRELA) and Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), has established a total of 20 direct contracts for young people in the area.
Aside from this accomplishment, he stated that the plant still need funding and support from the ministry of agriculture in order to improve its operational capacity and provide farmers with more expert service.
"At the moment, we lack some essential modern machinery, such as the filtering machine, pressing machine and large tanks for expert grape and wine storage in bulk. These experts can assist us in producing high-quality products that will help us break through and compete fiercely in the global market," he revealed.
In addition, he discussed the necessity for the government to plan ahead and develop more practical ways to support the growth of the grape market and bring it closer to the farmers in the rapidly expanding region.
"We can currently only purchase 362 tonnes, so huge tonnes are left aside with no assured market," he explained. "Mvumi ward has over 921 grape farmers with an annual production tonnage at around 1,301 tonnes."
He did, however, welcome President Samaia Suluhu Hassan's efforts to strengthen the nation's economy, particularly his drive to make financial institutions more aware of the importance of giving farmers more power.
