Traders defy cereal export ban, but 104 trucks seized

DAILY NEWS Reporter

BARELY three days after Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa issued a directive banning export of food crops, the level of defiance among farmers and traders has remained astonishingly high as police in Kilimanjaro had, by yesterday, seized at least 104 trucks smuggling maize into neighbouring Kenya.

And, this at a time when the government has reiterated that the ban on cereal exports remains intact and that whoever defies it would face the music.

But reports reaching the ‘Daily News’ yesterday from Kilimanjaro showed that despite the ban issued by the Premier on Monday during an Eid Baraza, many traders and truck drivers are said to have contravened it -- and now find themselves in trouble.

Still worse, it’s for the very crop – maize -- that Premier insisted that even if permits are issued, the crop should be processed before export, that traders have allegedly carried on ‘exporting’ through illegal Rombo district border posts.

Yesterday, Kilimanjaro Regional Commissioner Ms Anna Mghwira told reporters that transportation business was now carried out at night. The ‘Daily News’ has learnt that even after 103 trucks were seized and more than 100 people detained, some went along last Wednesday night and were in line to smuggle out of the country some 100 bags of maize that were packed in a Scania truck.

The Scania was seized at the small township of Himo after police officers on patrol became suspicious. Some traders, drivers and their assistants were arrested and then detained at different police stations across Kilimanjaro region, even as detectives carried on grilling tasks for the suspects before decisions were made to issue any statement on the matter.

RC Mghwira reiterated what the PM had said during Eid-el-Fitr Baraza on Monday morning, that there were collusions between traders and some police officers in the maize export racket, with Ms Mghwira saying the region had run surpluses in excess of 62,000 tons in grains.

However, she noted that Rombo district wasn’t facing any food shortage; so there was no point for trucks to be carrying such huge amount of grains to the district.

In Dodoma yesterday, Premier Majaliwa told Parliament that many parts of the country did not have good harvests last year and that allowing food exports was a risky business.

“I said this during Eid (celebrations) in Kilimanjaro … that we still need food in our country because some regions experienced drought and poor production during the last season. Therefore it is our responsibility as a government to maintain our stand by banning food exports,” he said.

He added that those who wish to export food must go through procedures that include obtaining a special permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

“… those who want to export food will not be allowed to sell cereals, they will be required to seek for a special permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries; even then, they will still have to ‘export flour’ instead of whole maize,” the Premier stressed.

Premier Majaliwa gave kudos to Kilimanjaro RC, Ms Anna Mghwira for standing firm and stopping exportation of food from the country. “Kilimanjaro RC is doing a great job, so far a lot of trucks have been seized in the region,” he said.

The premier added that the trucks that were seized would remain at police stations while the maize consignment is preserved at the National Food Reserve Agency (NFRA).

He asked the public to support the government by reporting any movements of people who try to smuggle food. “We still need food in this country, we must do everything within our powers to preserve food,” he said.