HANANG SEEKS CHINESE TECHNOLOGY IN SALT PROJECT

 Hanang district in Manyara region is eyeing a simple Chinese technology to tap its huge salt resources. 

Discussions are being finalized between the district officials and the prospective investors from the Far East country on the issue. 

"This is a new option after  the project failed to attract investors for large scale production", said Hanang legislator  Samwel  Hhayumwa. 

He told reporters in Arusha last week that the project has regrettably failed to take off for years due to failure to attract financing. 

Until last year,there were prospects that a local investor based in Dar es Salaam would chip in .

However, this could not be as he could not secure the requisite funds for the construction of the required processing plant.

"We are now banking on investors from China who would use simple salt extraction technology with mini-plants", the MP said on the stalled project.

Mr. Hhayumwa added;"Discussions are currently underway.Our experts and the Chinese are weighing on  the option".

The MP could not hint on the likely cost of mini-extraction plants at a salt pan near Mt. Hanang, believed to have huge deposits of salt.

The salt pan/saline lake covers some 400 hectares. It has been the source of table salt for the local communities and those afar for generations.

Salt extraction is done by artisanal miners using  crude tools. Up to 3,000 people are directly or indirectly earning livelihood through salt mining and sales.

Studies indicated that between 200,000 to 300,000 tonnes of raw salt is extracted annually from the site and packed for local and foreign markets.

In 2018, the Hanang District Council announced it would construct a Sh. 600million salt processing plant at the site, some 20 kilometres from Katesh.

However, such plans have remained on the drawing board despite the local authority earning significant revenues from levies on salt trade.

Mr Hhayumwa said he was confident the  project will be rolled out this time around through the Chinese "who will come with simple technology".

Until 2014/2015, the salt demand in Tanzania was estimated to be 273,000  tonnes annually with 202,000 being for direct human consumption.

Raw salt  from Hanang is also  sold in Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other countries depending on the demand.