Posted on February, 22, 2019 at 08:32 am
BURNING issues related to industries and businesses are among matters being addressed at ongoing meetings involving ministers from the two sides of the United Republic of Tanzania, the House of Representatives was informed yesterday.
There have grievances over trade activities between the two sides of the Union, Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, with traders from the Indian Ocean semi-autonomous archipelago often complaining about lack of level playing field.
They want free movement of goods and commodities between the two sides, saying existing trade barriers have a negative impact on their enterprises.
Speaking in the House, Zanzibar Finance Minister, Dr Khalid Salum Mohamed, acknowledged that there were obstacles to Zanzibar businesspeople as well as goods produced on the Isles to enter the mainland market.
He said the obstacles had negative impact on Zanzibar’s industrial development and discouraged businesspeople from investing in the industrial sector.
Dr Mohamed cited Azam Milk Factory in Zanzibar as one of the victims of trade barriers between the two sides after the Union government blocked it from exporting its products to Mainland Tanzania.
But the minister assured the House of Representatives that the two governments were involved in talks to address existing Union challenges, with free movement of goods, one of the agendas of ongoing talks.
He said it would be difficult for Zanzibar to attain the much-envisaged industrial economy if there were trade barriers between the two sides of the Union.
Source: Daily News