Government warns against Lumbesa weights

THE government has warned greedy traders, who steal from small scale farmers by overloading their sacks popularly known as ‘Lumbesa’, to stop immediately lest they face punitive measures. This warning was issued in the National Assembly on Thursday by the Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa, when responding to a question by CUF lawmaker, Swaum Sakala (Special Seats). Premier Majaliwa also ordered Weights and Measures Agency (WMA) to make sure traders observe the required package standards. He also called on Regional Commissioner, District Commissioners and Regional Business Development Officers all over the country to team up with WMA to make sure that the problem is solved. In her question, Sakala said businesspeople were stealing from small scale farmers by forcing them to overfill their sacks and still, they (businesspeople) buy produce at a low cost. 

Tanzania's Prime Minister, Mr Kassim Majaliwa responding questions in Parliament during questions and answer session on Thursday this week.

This, she said was discouraging farmers and some of them have lost confidence and decided to shun farming. The MP demanded the government’s statement on solving the problem. In response to a question by Lucy Magereli (Special Seats --CHADEMA), who sought to know how the government support local entrepreneurs to produce and properly pack their products with barcodes so as to attract wider markets, Mr Majaliwa said efforts are being made to support them. He challenged the entrepreneurs to continue improving their products to add more value and this will help them get good price for their produce. “We have ordered the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) and Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) to make sure these products meet the standard required and are marked with Bar Codes,” he said. Mr Majaliwa also told the House that the government was committed to make sure that it continues to effectively implement National Water Policy, which seeks to supply adequate and reliable water to its people. He also said that the government has continued to make good progress towards urban and rural water supply targets in Tanzania, insisting that the target to cover the entire country by 2025 with reliable water supply was achievable.