 |
| Prof Ndullu |
MPs have accused the government of alleged poor economic management,
which they say has made life unbearable for most ordinary Tanzanians.
Speaking in Dodoma yesterday, the legislators, alarmed that inflation had hit 19.8 per cent, volunteered
various tips for relief, including a ban
on raw exports and rehabilitation of the central railway line.
They were reacting to a presentation on the state of the economy given
by the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) Governor, Prof Beno Ndulu, during a seminar the
Central Bank had organised for the MPs.
The
lawmakers blamed BoT, charging that most of its economic
policies had not helped to propel the country’s economy. In his presentation,
Prof Ndulu explained the reasons behind spiralling inflation and the current,
much-criticised dollarisation
trend, whereby most services were charged in US dollars.
 |
| Mr Kabwe |
Mr Zitto Kabwe (Kigoma North-Chadema) said it was high time the
government banned exports of raw cashew nuts, as well as hides and skins.He
cited 125,000 tonnes of the crop that were exported in 2010, from which Tanzania earned $97million.
He cited 125,000
tonnes of the crop that were exported in 2010, from which Tanzania earned US $97million.
Elaborating that this was tanta-mount to being short-changed, Mr Kabwe
said: “We lost $250million that could have been earned we had exported
processed cashew nuts,” explaining further, that exports of the raw cash crop
resulted in loss of 84,000 direct jobs. He said exports of raw hides and skins
during the period under review cost the country $100million and 34,000 lost
jobs.
“The shilling is becoming weak because we are not exporting processed
products to add value. And by exporting raw cashewnuts and other cash crops, it
means we are also exporting jobs,” said Mr Kabwe.
The minister for Lands,
Housing and Human Settlements Development, Prof Anna Tibaijuka (Muleba
South-CCM), said the revival of the central railway line could inject fresh air
into the country’s economic growth.
“Railways all over the world are the lifeline of the economy,” she
said, adding that most of the
agricultural produce in the country was rotting in rural areas due to lack of
means to transport them to markets.
Dr Festus Limbu (Magu Urban-CCM) said since
the government’s fuel import bill was very huge, it was advisable that it
switched to the use of natural gas.
The former deputy minister for Finance and Economic Affairs also called
for tighter monitoring and control of bureaux de change, saying they might be
used as conduits for transacting money to overseas.
Mr Freeman Mbowe (Hai-Chadema) urged the government to establish a real
estate regulatory authority, saying the government was losing a lot of foreign
exchange through the unregulated construction industry which was growing at 14
per cent a year.
Mr John Mnyika (Ubungo-Chadema) appealed to the government to make
concerted efforts aimed at arresting the spiralling inflation, noting that it not only affected the country’s
economic growth but could also cause
political unrest.
Prof Ndulu also asked Tanzanians to report to relevant authorities any
people or institutions that demanded payments in US dollars.The minister for
Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr Mustafa Mkulo,
gave a catalogue of measures that he said the government was taking to
curb inflation and resolve other economic problems.
Source: The Citizen,www.thecitizen.co.tz, reported by Lucas Liganga in Dodoma
0 comments :
Post a Comment