EAC to harmonise soaps, detergents trading rules across region - Mgonda

By The guardian reporter

Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS)

East African countries will later on have similar standards on soaps and detergents that would enable businessmen to sell the products in any of the country and abroad easily.

This was said yesterday in Dar es Salaam by Prof Yassin Mgonda at the opening of the National Consultation meeting to discuss the East African standards draft for soaps and detergents (Easc/TC 074-surface active agents).

The two-day meeting is organised and facilitated by the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS) in an effort to facilitate trade in the region and ensure that soaps and detergents are highly traded and used by more consumers.

He said technical committees of all the East African countries are now discussing the draft and will soon meet to harmonise the products.

“We want to ensure that all soaps and detergent products have similar standards and would be accepted in the whole region,” he said.

Prof Mgonda who is also the Tanzania’s technical committee chairperson said the aim is to satisfy consumers in the East African community.

Speaking on behalf of TBS acting Director General Joseph Masikitiko, the bureau’s Processing Technical Standard Manager Theresia Kessy, urged stakeholders to deliberate fully on draft standards and come up with scientific based decisions that will be tools during harmonisation at East African community level.

“This process of standard of development is endeavored to capture the principles as defined in World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement and adopted in the East African procedures and principles for harmonisation of East African standards,” he said.

He said should make reference to authoritative information from International standard setting bodies like International Organisation for ttandardisation (ISO) and available scientific researched data in order to come up with standards that best suit their environment, economic background and legislation.

“Today we live in a world of globalisation with rapid expansion of trade, industrialisation and technology, therefore standardisation which is a dynamic process will stimulate the aspects of economic development, through trade facilitation, quality assurance and safety,” he noted.

He said soaps and detergents industry in Tanzania is of great social and economic importance because it brings direct employment at the level of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to the large industries.
SMES are mostly involved in the processing of soaps and detergents and these products are available in the market.

Standards are used as tools for fair competition in trading, therefore are highly required for quality assessment to compete in market.

He said standard formulation is a stakeholder oriented process which involves sharing of information among stakeholders who include manufactures, traders, SMEs, academia and researchers.

“It is a participatory process which requires consensus in most issues and sharing experience and challenges facing the industry hence together look for opportunities for it to prosper,” he added.

He further urged the industry to unite and look into ways to ensure business development in the area is enhanced and that there is full participation so that they are not taken as standards takers, but developers and users.
The national views which will be generated from the meeting will be presented to EAC regional harmonisation meeting expected to be held late next month.
 

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN