Mumbai, March 25 (IANS) Tata Chemicals will soon be setting up a $500 million soda ash manufacturing plant in Tanzania, says the country’s Minister for Industries, Trade and Marketing Mary Nagu.
Most of the modalities had been ironed out for the plant that will be set up in the north of the country, said Nagu, who is a part of the 32-member high level delegation led by the country’s Vice President Ali Mohamed Shein.
“We are awaiting clearance from the environment department before going ahead with the project execution and announcement,” Nagu told IANS Monday night.
The environmental feasibility report is expected any time, she said, adding: “The project is extremely important to us as our country is rich in minerals and mining is a very important part of our economy”.
Refusing to divulge details of the venture, the minister said the delegation was on a visit to India to promote and bolster bilateral trade between the two countries. It had met several other major and small chemical manufacturing firms.
“Since 1990 we have been changing the economic structure in our country. And in any case, Tanzania, the east African country has a sizeable chunk of population of Indian origins and the trade link between the two countries goes back to time immemorial. So we are just reviving what had already existed in the past,” she said.
The minister said gold and gems polishing units was a sector that tops “our list of investors”. “Our country is rich in gemstones and gold. We want big gold purification and gem stones polishing and jeweller units to set up plants in our country and thus save a lot of expenditure in import-export.”
“The other sector is power. While we have untapped coalmines, India has the expertise. Moreover, we do have skilled labour and the scenario is a win-win situation for both the parties,” she said.