Strategies by TBS to curb imported counterfeit products is in place

THE vision of every producer and a manufacturer in the world is to make profits for any goods produced. In order to reach a production target, a manufacturer must produce goods which cater for the needs of consumers. A great profit margin of a product is attained when a particular product is able to fair in business competition with other products in the market. But in order to obtain good products sold at the market, close supervision of such products is the essential factors which enables their verification to see if they really conform to the required standards. The verification of products is prompted by good policies and laws for the purpose of ensuring quality standards set that overlooks the basic concepts of competition to suit the urge of consumers' demands. Statistics by National Commission for Trade Competition (NCTC) gives an estimation that between 30 and 40 percent of the imported products into the country are counterfeit, and great efforts by the authorities concerned to curb with the vice has developed considerably higher. Despite of their efforts of apprehending and destroying such goods, still the habit has been growing into an alarming rate in the country. Statistics reveals that most imported counterfeit products are those ones used for construction, electricity, chemicals, dry batteries and many others. Suppose these products could be grouped in categories of food and chemicals, surely their sale in Tanzania could result in numerous deaths to innocent people. In order to curb with this problem, Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) has been in the forefront to make sure that in Tanzanian market, there are goods which are of high quality standards with a view to protect its consumers against counterfeit products. Various strategic measures have been so far taken by this organization with the aim of protecting consumers. In a bid to reinforce its activities, a special team of TBS technical experts has been visiting sellers of various goods at their shops so as to investigate closely their consumable products with a view to discover any cheating that might be done by manufacturers or suppliers of such products. TBS has been making a surprise visit to many selling shops of such products and a tremendous achievement has been attained so far especially by building capacity to the community at large. Despite of these efforts shown by TBS, still great number of counterfeit products are being supplied and sold at the most cheap prices in various shops in the country. Due to their cheap selling prices, most Tanzanians refuses to effectively cooperate together in order to boycott them. In view of this situation, TBS has changed a style and has currently formed a strategic means through which it could enable such counterfeit products to disappear in the local market.

The Director General of the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) Mr. Charles Ekelege handing over a certified certificate of a quality product to one representative of a manufacturing firm from Kilimanjaro region. The occasion took place last year in his office at Ubungo.

Narrating about the newly adopted system, the Director of Quality Control of the TBS organization Ms. Kezia Mbwambo, says that her organization has established a new planning system whereby it would have an overall control of the illegally circulated counterfeit products and the move would help protect the rights of consumers in the country. According to her, the newly introduced system would be done alongside with the ongoing exercise of physical verification of products displayed in shops and in stakeholders' stores. However, the newly system has been approved by in accordance to the organization's legal systems. The work will be done by agents to be selected later by TBS itself in a tender bid which would involve the inspection of imported goods and these agents will take on the responsibility of issuing permits for every imported products which conforms to the standards required by TBS. She says, the work will be executed by three International companies namely, Swiss based SGS Company, Bureau Veritas of France and Intertek International based in UK. The companies will be licensed to curb with the problem of counterfeit imported goods in Tanzania. After verifying the conformity of the imported products, a special certificate note will be issued to a particular product to prove that such a product is already inspected and a certificate of approval is issued to ascertain the technical work done as per rules and principles set by TBS standards. She further says that, this system has long been applied in other East African countries such as Uganda and Kenya and other countries within Africa before. In these countries she says, the system has proved a great success by adding the value of consumers of the imported products in their countries. “These companies have been given a great mandate to make sure that all imported products into the country do conform to the accepted standards as agreed by TBS”. She referred the system as 'Pre Export Verification of Conformity (PvoC). This means that, a product is inspected and given the required standards before shipment. According to Ms. Mbwambo, the aim of the system is to make sure that importers of goods follow the principles and rules imposed by the government's standards or either those ones accepted by international bodies such as ISO before being shipped. Another TBS official Mr. Joshua Katabwa says that, under the newly introduced system, the rate at which the supply of counterfeit products is increasing, will be reduced in Tanzania market. The exercise will also reduce to a lesser extent the effects caused by substandard products which are not safer for use. He says, it will help to maintain the health status of consumers and their protection against manufactured products which are below standards and also to remove any complications facing manufacturers who are induced to legal global trade competition. Narrating the most responsibilities of importers, he says they are supposed to issue a comprehensive service that meets the standards for best quality requirement. He further clarifies that, this is the only way to save Tanzania consumers of imported goods. He says there will be certain things to be to be taken into account such as the valuation bof dangerous products and plans for registered products with the exception of buyers and importers to show the highest quality standards by following the already passed technical principles Commenting on the move, the Deputy Minister for Trade and Industries Lazaro Nyalandu who is also an MP for Singida South says the work will help phase out counterfeit imported products which to a larger extent has dominated Tanzanian local markets. He says, the action is as a result of agreement reached upon between the Tanzania government in collaboration with international organizations which are well known throughout the world for the work of inspecting imported goods. According to him, the system under Pre export verification of goods would help remove or boycott all sub standard goods which are below international standards, hence the move will also help protect consumers and users as well. However, he clarified that, the government has decided to assign the international organization bodies to curb the escalating habit of importation of sub standard materials which is being practiced by few unscrupulous traders in the country as cheating in their business transactions had increased to high standard rate. Therefore he said, in order for the country to be on the safe side and free from accepting substandard goods in the market, the government and its subsidiary body has taken this drastic steps to curb with the unfaithful traders who tarnishes the good image of Tanzania market with counterfeit products. In view of this, traders will also be in a position to do their businesses freely with care, hence ensuring high quality goods thus they will risk themselves from incurring loses resulting from confiscation and destruction of their properties if found to be counterfeit. Speaking under strict condition of anonymity when contacted for comments by this paper, one of the famous businessman in the city of Dar es Salaam has advised the companies which have won TBS tenders to do so even to those goods exported to Zanzibar in order to curb unscrupulous traders who might diverge the trend and transport their goods through Zanzibar port and manage to venture into Tanzania mainland with ease. He says if Zanzibar is in the process of establishing a bureau standard company of their own, it is better for this new system introduced by TBS to take effect to curb counterfeit products currently venturing into the Island. He urges that, it's a challenge which has to be looked at broadly for security reasons as one way to protect the Tanzania market.