Posted on September, 11, 2017 at 09:08 am
AS farming season starts with businessmen indicating a possible rise in agro-input prices, the government yesterday ordered fertiliser dealers to stick to the cap price or risk legal action.
Tanzania recently adopted a fertiliser bulk importation system, setting up cap prices for wholesale and retails for the agricultural input with effect from August 1 for the major objective of stabilising its availability and prices in the local market.
But, Minister for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Dr Charles Tizeba (pictured), yesterday vowed to impose hefty penalties to fertiliser dealers who will be found trading fertiliser above the agreed price.
Information that reached the ‘Sunday News’ over the weekend states that the first consignment of fertiliser imported through bulk procurement arrangement has arrived in the country and the offloading was until yesterday going on at the Dar es Salaam port.
Speaking about quality seed breeders, the minister said some investors into the field shunned away from engaging in the business due to burdensome fees imposed.
“Availability of quality seed has been a big burden to our farmers, leading to poor yields at least every year. The problem was orchestrated by lack of local producers after majority of them shunned away from the business,” he said.
According to Dr Tizeba, local seed producers also faced heavy taxes limiting their expansion, prompting them to close down business. “After consultative meetings with stakeholders, we reached the decision to shelve all registration fees for quality seed breeders,” the minister said.
Dwelling on the cap prices introduced for the sowing fertiliser ((UREA) and the dressing fertiliser (DAP), the minister said the government will make a close follow-up on the defiant dealers.
The indicative fertiliser prices which were classified in zones, regions and stock points seen by the ‘Sunday News’ show in Arusha, Dodoma, Dar es Salaam, Geita and Iringa, for instance, the price of DAP ranges from 49,162/- and 55,762/-, while for UREA the price ranges from 36,583/- to 43,183/- per 50- kilogramme bag.
“In Lindi where the price of DAP had, at one point of time, reached 100,000/- per single bag of 50kgs, it has gone down to 51,000/-. … these are retail prices,” he told reporters.
The government tasked village, district and regional extension officers, District and Regional Commissioners to conduct frequent inspection to detect dealers selling the products above the indicative prices. A special team from the ministry will also undertake impromptu surveys countrywide.
Source: Daily News