'Lumbesa' denying Iringa, Njombe farmers 14bn/- every year, says TCCIA

'Lumbesa' denying Iringa, Njombe farmers 14bn/- every year, says TCCIA

Tue Nov 25, 2014

Farmers in Iringa and Njombe regions lose at least 14bn/- every year through the use of sub standard scales in measuring goods.

This was said at the weekend by Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) Lucas Mwakabungu at a regional stakeholders’ meeting which convened to discuss the Weights and Measures Act of 1982.

Mwakabungu said TCCIA has been conducting meetings in different phases since 2005 under the sponsorship of Best-AC and have been making serious follow ups on the law, eventually deciding in 2013 to have it amended so as to check traders who use fake scales.

He said, the government loses over 2.6bn/- in revenue annually due to the use of sub standard scales.

He also advised the Parliament to amend the law, in order to met severe punishment to those who damage expensive infrastructure by overloading or overlooking the law.

He also advised that the law enforcing organs should work jointly in accordance with the letter and sprits of the law so that the farmers and government can get their rightful shares.

For his part, the chief advisor of the project, Prof Enock Wiketie of Tumaini University based in Iringa said Tanzania has earmarked 2025 as the year when its economic vision will be achieved.

Under the vision, the country is expected to become a medium income economy with a growth rate of 10 percent, more industries, more productivity in agriculture and an income per capita of USD3,000.

Prof Wiketie said despite there being many economic programmes to bolster agriculture, economic growth has not succeeded to reduce poverty among the farmers and that the presence of non standard scales were compounding to the problems facing them.

“Given these circumstances, Tanzania is still a poor country because on average the income per capita for every Tanzanian is less than USD1,000, while economic growth still lingers at between 6 and 7 percent,” he observed.

Answering the question posed by Henry Mang’enya, who introduced himself as a farmer, as to what should be done to people who use sub standard scales, Mwakabungu said the Parliament must amend the present weak law so as to enable the farmers to became aware of their rights and fight for them.

“I am surprised that people buy by using ‘lumbesa’ (sub standard scales). The question is how did these commodities find their way to the market and to the consumer? This means that somewhere in between there are people who are supposed to see that standard scales are used but fail to do so probably because they have received some bribes,” said Mang’enya.

SOURCE: IPPMEDIA

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