Cashew nut farmers happy with the commodity exchange system

Cashew nut farmers in Mtwara region have a reason to smile following the government’s move to introduce commodity exchange system which would help promote farmers in the country.  It has been learnt. The system which together with other things, will help facilitate prompt payments and reduce long  bureaucracy which farmers in the southern region are currently facing of demanding long overdue payments for their agricultural crops such as cashew nut in the region. Speaking in an exclusive interview in Dar es Salaam on Friday this week, Said Awad who is a peasant in Kitema village in Tandahima district in Mtwara region appreciated the government’s move and noted that it was a savior for cashew nut farmers in Mtwara region. He gave his appreciation during a half day seminar which was organized by Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) with the aim of putting awareness  to the agricultural investors of the coming government’s initiatives which it has introduced for the commodity exchange in the country. The programme which currently the government is working on its legislation and policy to guide its operation would be transparent to let farmers enjoy their farming as they would be sure of the market for their products. The seminar under the theme titled, “Private sector role in development” brought about agricultural investors of cashew nuts, Rice and Sunflower oil plant had deliberated ways on how the private sector could benefit and participate in order to help small scale farmers in the country. The programme which has been introduced by the government aims to ensure together with other things better quality of agricultural commodities sold in market, fair selling price rates, commodity standards and their grades as well as free market opportunities.  Elaborating more on the importance of the commodity exchange for Tanzania, TPSF’s Director for Membership services Louis Accaro said that, payments cheating which had been there before would no longer be existing as farmers would be getting their payments on the spot. He further noted that, the system would favour better quality on the agricultural products and standards of grades to ensure their standards. He said and added that, transport of the commodities will be fairly done for all. He also noted that, under the system, the warehouse receipt would help more to identify cheating as the prices would be constant in all centres to be located later once the operation starts. He outlined other benefits for the farmers as that, creation of jobs and better commodity price rates are among the elements that farmers should expect to get, others she noted are farmers in the country would access of different varieties of commodities in the market. She further noted other benefits are the presence of large volumes of commodities in the market, in this aspect she elaborated that, there will be a transparency on commodity selling whereby most commodities would be fetched at a cheapest price rates.