Tanzania: Six ministries owe farmers organisation Sh22 million

02 July 2009, The Citizen
URL: http://thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php?id=13525

Dar es Salaam:  Six Government ministries have delayed payment of Sh22 million owed to the northern branch of the Tanzania Agricultural Societies Organisation (Taso). The amount results from arrears in contributions for participating in annual agricultural exhibitions between 2008 and 2009.

This was said here yesterday by the Taso secretary for eastern zone, Mr Raphael Jackson. He was briefing reporters on proceedings of a meeting for preparing this year's show. However, most of the ministries have settled their debts which had accumulated between 2003 and 2007, he said.

Mr Jackson named ministries which are yet to settle their contributions, of Sh4 million each, as Agriculture and Food Security, Trade, Industries and Commerce as well as Tourism and Natural Resources.   Others are Defence and National Service and Regional Administration and Local Government as well as Livestock Development and Fisheries (Sh2 million).

Meanwhile, regions which form the zone, Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Tanga and Coast, are yet to settle Sh4 million for 2009. Each is supposed to contribute Sh1 million. Earlier, the Tanga Regional Commissioner, Mr Said Kalembo, who was the deputy chairman of the meeting, urged the indebted institutions to settle their debts.