Saturday 2 September 2017

Success as cotton weight cheating drops by 27pc

From Daily News, Dar es Salaam
By MOSES MATTHEW in Mwanza

AUTHORITIES have managed to reduce the level of cotton weight cheating from 34 per cent during 2015/2016 season to seven per cent in 2017 season.

Some farmers have been accused of tampering with the weight of their produce. In August, 2016, at least 30 farmers in Lake Zone were fined 10m/- for tampering with the weight of cotton. The Cotton Board of Tanzania (CBT) said farmers were punished for mixing cotton with sand and other materials
to increase weight.

The Mwanza Regional Weight and Measurement Agency (WMA) Manager, Mr Hemed Kipengile, told the ‘Daily News’ that the cheating had dropped after WMA and other stakeholders made follow ups and introduced mobile courts which charged and meted out punishments to culprits.

“The mobile courts helped to address the problems, all famers and traders who were involved in the dirty game were charged and punished accordingly,” he said when he visited various areas that produce and process cotton in the region.

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