Tanzania's Ministry Of Agriculture has stated that it has issued directives to formalise trading of crops for the benefit of the country, farmers and local and foreign traders. The government said restrictions imposed on the purchase of agricultural crops, especially cereals, directly from farmers do not target any country, emphasizing that compliance was required by traders from all countries buying produce from Tanzania.
Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe said Tanzania has not banned export of agricultural crops and that foreign traders are allowed to purchase the produce under outlined procedures: “Tanzania is formalising the trading of agricultural crops. Today, I can’t go to Kenya, enter the farms, purchase crops and cross the border back home. Countries that purchase crops from Tanzania including Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), etc, are equally required to follow outlined procedures.”
Bashe said traders from foreign countries are allowed to buy agricultural crops through locally registered companies or firms established in the country by foreign traders. The Minister, who doubles as Nzega Urban Constituency Member of Parliament, said transformation aims at enabling the country to gather accurate data of crops trading and that export transactions should be visible in the country’s economy.
Source: thecitizen.co.tz