Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing has been urged to work on a
mechanism that would help regulate the per-kilo price of leather to set a
balance of trade among suppliers, exporters and other players in the industry.
This was said during a meeting that brought together leather
stakeholders on the one hand and the ministries of Industry, Trade and
Marketing and that of Livestock and Fisheries Development on the other recently
in Dar es Salaam.
Tanzania Trade Development Authority’s director of Domestic Market
Development, who also chaired the meeting Edwin Rutageruka asked officials from
the two ministries to work on the challenge in order to benefit the sub-sector.
“It is important the government steps in and puts in place mechanisms
for fairness in the sub-sector,” said Mr Rutageruka.
The argument received the support of the director of Industrial
Development from the ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing, Mr Ellaine
Sikazwe, who said a price mechanism was an important tool in establishing fair
competition in business.
“We take it as a challenge in our area,” said director
Sikazwe.Stakeholders aired their grievances over the matter, pointing an
accusing finger at suppliers.
“It is very discouraging, suppliers sell me a kilo of skin at between
Sh1,000 and 1,200, while in other areas the same product is sold at much less,”
complained the managing director of Morogoro Tannery, Mr Onorato Garavagli.
According to the stakeholders leather prices differed from one area to
the other. They gave rough estimates for some of the regions, prices have been
given in brackets: Mbeya (800/- to 900/-); Mwanza (1,200/- to 1,300/-) and Dar es
Salaam (800/- to 900/-).
Tanzania livestock population as per 2011 statistics shows that it has
a total of 21.3 million cattle, 15.2 million goats and 6.4 million sheep. The
country mainly exports leather products to Pakistan, China, UK, Kenya and
Uganda.
Source: The Citizen,www.thecitizen.co.tz, reported by Felix Lazaro
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