RENOVATION and expansion of the country's ports is bearing fruits as yesterday Mtwara Port received the largest ever cargo vessel carrying 2,850 tonnes of Sulphur pesticides. The consignment has been brought by the government as subsidy for cashew farmers in Southern Zone and other regions in the country. The Yasemin vessel that docked at around 11am from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would sensitise and build confidence among traders on the capacity of the port to accommodate mega cargo vessels weighing 65,000 tonnes. Speaking shortly after the arrival of the vessel, the Port Manager Engineer Juma Kijavara said the vessel has come following the government's and Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) strategies aimed at ensuring full use of the port in exporting and importing goods. "This has been done in line with bringing port services closer to traders as well as creating a favorable environment for business communities at the port he said. Before the expansion of Mtwara Port such big vessels were using Tanzania's principal Port of Dar es Salaam in bringing the inputs and goods for the southern zone and neighbouring countries. Mtwara Regional Commissioner Brigadier General Marco Gaguti thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan and TPA for the efforts and plans it has invested in ensuring domestic and international business services open at the deepest water port. On the other hand, the RC warned farmers' cooperative unions in Mtwara against misuse and sabotage of the Sulphur inputs brought by the government as a subsidy to the cashew farmers in the region. He directed the leaders of the cooperative unions, district and regional executives to closely monitor and oversee the distribution of the inputs to intended cashew farmers in the region. According to the TPA, the Mtwara's modern multipurpose cargo terminal is now capable of delivering quality services to the southern regions of Lindi Mtwara and Ruvuma and serving the neighbouring countries in the southern African region- Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia. The terminal has increased its cargo handling capacity from 400,000 tonnes per annum to 1,000,000 tonnes. Currently, the next cashew harvest season will play a significant role in ferrying cashew nuts abroad, including Vietnam. Cashew nuts, which is the cash earning crop for the southerners, is one of the dependable forex earners for the country. Cement produced at Dangote Cement Plant is reaching markets in Comoro and Zanzibar through Mtwara Port. A fertiliser plant to be established in Lindi will also depend on the port for the product to reach markets in some parts of the southern region and beyond. Close SIGN UP FOR FREE ALLAFRICA NEWSLETTERS Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox Top HeadlinesTanzaniaTransportInfrastructure someone@example.com By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. On Tuesday, Tanzania became the first country in Africa's Eastern and Central to host a huge vessel-the Tranquil ACE Panama carrying over 3,700 vehicles. The ship from Japan docked at the Dar es Salaam Port, carrying a total of 3,743 vehicles, sending a key message over significant expansion of the port and improved efficiency. Commenting on the ship's arrival, Director General of the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Mr Eric Hamissi, said the country has never hosted such a big vessel in the history of the port. "We have broken the record. The previous record was the arrival of a ship with capacity to carry 2,600 cars," Mr Hamissi explained, noting the Tranquil ACE Panama, which is owned by Mitsui Company, had cruised from Japan directly to the Dar es Salaam Port. About 65 per cent of the vehicles carried in the ship were in transit and the remaining 35 percent are destined for Tanzania. "This figure signals that we are the leading importers for other neighbouring countries in comparison to the past, this is due to efforts by the sixth phase government to attract business people in the country," he said. Speaking over general performance of the port during the past two years, the DG said the number of cargo handled has tremendously increased. The port handled 1.45 tonnes of cargo in July this year, up from 1.19 tonnes of the previous month, which is an increase by 18 per cent.