Tanzania: New System for Farmers Proposed

A warehouse receipt system is expected to be introduced for coffee farmers in Kagera Region to assist them in getting good prices for their crops. The deputy minister for Industry and Trade, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, told the Parliament yesterday that the system would benefit farmers as it would help them in adding value to their produce. He said the system would also attract banks and other financial institutions to provide more funds for buying crops, improving their quality and decreasing the cost of selling and purchasing crops.
According to Mr Nyalandu, the warehouse receipt system allows competition among dealers because farmers would sell their crops to the buyer who offers the highest price.

He said other measures taken to improve coffee farming include mobilising farmers to process coffee before it is sold, establishing markets at borders for selling crops to neighbouring countries and mobilising people to drink local coffee.
Mr Nyalandu said the government has been mobilising producers to develop projects to manufacture product quality determinants (branding) to help in improving the value of local coffee. The deputy minister was answering a question from Ms Assumpter Mshama (Nkenge -CCM). She asked the government to seek coffee markets and increase the price of the crop which is used worldwide as a drink.