Tanzania’s Opposition Leader Decries Farmers’ Restrictions To Sell Produce Beyond Borders

By Adonis Byemelwa

The Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo, Chadema, chairman, Freeman Mbowe, Saturday, 28^th July, lashed out at the government for not allowing growers to sell produce at affordable prices beyond the borders.

Speaking at a well-attended rally organised to educate the public against the Tanzania-Dubai 'dubious' pact, in Kanyigo ward, Misenyi District, Kagera Region, Mr. Mbowe said, the government was not fair to stifle farmers' efforts of seeking profitable prices for major cash crops; coffee and vanilla in Uganda and other neighboring countries, while it the latter has no 'viable' plans to offer good prices.

''Coffee prices have been shooting up globally but Kagera farmers trail in abject with the consignments of produce set to be sold through cooperative societies at a throw-away price You would be allowed to seek markets from across the world without interference," he insisted.

According to the former assistant register of cooperatives, from the Tanzania Cooperative Commission, (TCC), Mr. Robert, Nsunza, who had supervised the produce's online auction held in Bukoba Municipal Council, the current coffee prices in Kagera Region stand at between Sh2300 and 1900 per kg for both Arabica and Robusta respectively

Uganda, the prices are between Ugandan Sh3846.15 (Tsh2,617.63) per kg and Ugandan Sh2600 (Tsh1,689.49) per kg, for similar types of produce, according to the Ugandan cash crop price statistics.

On a lighter note, the average world market price of arabica and Robusta coffee is $3.48 (Tsh8543) per kg.

Currently, vanilla in Kagera Region sells between Sh3,000 to 15,000kg depending on the nature of the market, the prices have gone down from Sh30,000kg in 2021, thanks to daring farmers for embarking on optimum productivity, according to Acting Kagera Regional Administrative Officer, Isaya Tendega.

The long-serving opposition leader explained his dismay at the government's restriction on farmers seeking profitable markets, while the same growers could have their purchasing power increased to boost the economy after reaping big.

According to Mr. Mbowe, in the 1960s, Kagera was the second biggest economy in Tanzania, trailing, closely behind the first Region, Kilimanjaro, but bad leadership under CCM had turned people's prosperity into misery.

"Kagera is no longer the giant economy anymore. It has remained with many professors, who can hardly do little to boost the economy if the government is not doing enough to implement major development projects," he lamented.

About the kind of education offered in the country, the main opposition party chairman said, the government had been bragging about having constructed several classrooms with little attention placed on mastery learning.

He explained that neighbouring countries do not find any point in bringing children to study in our country over the 'questionable' standards of education.

However, Mr. Mbowe did not give statistics on children sent to study in neighbouring countries nor did he talk about students from neighbouring nations studying in Tanzania.

'' Parents in this region are used to sending their children to Uganda and Kenya, even in Rwanda but tell me the number of Kenyans and Ugandans studying in Tanzania?' quipped Mr. Mbowe, noting that it was time people rejected the long-serving party, CCM, which had lost the direction in improving people's livelihood.

The firebrand opposition leader, who had stayed behind bars for a year or so, said that no one was born to embrace parties, but rather citizens were at liberty to choose whatever camp that feels people's challenges.

CCM isn't your mother. You can get rid of it. Chadema isn't even your parent. Give us powers and in case we mess up, you have what it takes to reject us in broad daylight,' he insisted amid applause.

Clarifying Chadema principles, the opposition leader said, freedom, rights, development, and democracy were major party ethos, explaining that, CCM had denied people their right to vote for leaders of their choice.

He noted that the 2020 General election had seen legislators, councillors, villages, and hamlet leaders rigging votes to win power.

Mr. Mbowe said the ruling party and its cohorts have no qualms selling national resources, because they neither have God nor people's endorsement during the election.

"Our friends have never been ashamed of behaving the way they do simply because, they lack people's mandate. You did not vote for them. They know you can do nothing to change their wicked plans. I urge you to reject CCM based on your well-grounded stance over its dereliction,' he said.

Speaking about the party's democratic practices, Mr. Mbowe insisted that, any Chadema member was free to defect to any camp of their choice, expounding that, opposition leaders do not embrace grudges with people who had switched sides.

Mr. Mbowe will be on a tour of Bunazi Ward, Kyerwa, District, Karagwe after he had accomplished similar rallies in Bukoba town alongside the Tanzanian-Uganda, Mutukula border. The main opposition party had promised to voice out against the Tanzania-Dubai Pact, over what they call dubious, with critics, lawyers, and academics, calling on the government to either revoke the document or amend its controversial articles.

Recently, lawyers led by advocate Mwambukusi had opened a case at The High Court of Tanzania, Mbeya Registry, challenging a number of controversial articles in the contract, with jurists presiding over the case, setting October 7, as a judgment day.