Dodoma — THE government has promised to work on existing problems in a bid to protect cashew nut farmers and meet the purpose which the Warehouse Receipt Act was established.
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda made the promise during a question and answer session before the National Assembly, when answering a query by Mtutula Abdallah Mtutula (Tunduru South - CCM). The legislator had explained that the Warehouse Receipt Act was established in the country with a view of ironing out problems for which farmers were facing.
He pointed out that instead of assisting them the law created more inconveniences to farmers, in particular cashew nut grower. Recently, he said, chaos erupted because of that problem and some other people were using the law as basis to create such disorders.
Mr Mtutula, therefore, sought to know whether it was high time the government reviews the law in question. In his response, the premier said it was true that such law was endorsed and the aim was for the government to come up with the best way of protecting farmers. He pointed out that the focus was to see farmers having a voice on prices for their agricultural products.
"We understand, maybe because this issue requires money and even obtaining loans from banks and in due process could lead to difficulties in the implantation of the law itself. But, let me insist that the aim is good," he said. According to the prime minister, the first time for him to encounter such issue was when he visited Mtwara and found a kilogramme of cashew nut being bought from farmers at 50/-.
"This pained me a lot. That is why we thought the best way was to do so (establishing the Act in question)," he said. The premier said the government would also look into possibilities of waiving levies that were being charged to farmers. He took an example of cashew nuts wherein there were 10 levies charged by different authorities amounting to 220/- per kilogramme. "So, farmers lose a lot of money that could have remained for them.
Some of the levies are unnecessary. You may be told of the board, but why should you pay the board while it is funded by the government. There are cooperatives, transporters, etc. It is true that they have created procedures of enriching themselves," he said. The prime minister was responding to a supplementary question by the MP, who sought to know whether the government would be ready to issue a directive to waive such levies that were introduced to exploit cashew nut farmers.
Meanwhile, the government is determined to increase budgetary allocation to improve water services in the country, particularly in rural areas, the prime minister told the National Assembly. The PM said they would look into possibilities of using some of the funds assigned for Other Charges (OC) to beef up the water budget. "It is true that the issue of water is critical for all Tanzanians.
You can see even when we created the project, funded by World Bank, that it was good will of trying to solve water problems. As the government, we are doing every effort to see how we can deal with the matter," the Prime Minister told the House. He was responding to Freeman Mbowe (Hai - Chadema), who wanted to know whether the government was considering establishing special fund in the water sector, taking into account that water was important for all Tanzanians.
Mr Mbowe, who is the leader of the Opposition Camp in Parliament, had alleged that water services were so crucial because they involve all Tanzanians. He said there were signs of hesitation by the government of implementing its pledges and the water policy of 2002.
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