Prices of paper bags to drop by September

Dar es Salaam. Environment minister January Makamba has projected a fall in prices of alternative carrier bags by up to 60 per cent in two months as production increases.

The total ban on the production and the use of plastic carrier bags that took effect on July 1, 2019 has triggered the rise in prices of the alternatives bags, largely due to low supply.

The minister told The Citizen during an exclusive interview on Monday that one month since the imposition of the ban, the public had fully adopted to the use of the new products by 100 percent, making the move one of the most successful in the country.

“This success belongs to the government and the whole public. I never made it myself. Behind me there were very many other supporters including the Vice President, Prime Minister, the National Environmental Management Council (Nemc) and the entire public,” he said.

Complaints over the higher prices of eco-friendly reusable bags abound. But Mr Makamba seemed optimistic that the prices will drop drastically in two months.

“We are aware of the price-challenge but I can assure people that we are working to ensure that by September this year, more paper bags will be available in markets and prices will drop,” he said, adding that paper bags currently sold at Sh500 will in the next two months be sold at between Sh200 to Sh300.

“More factories are continuing to venture into this industry and the already producers have increased production up to over 300 per cent. We have also consulted the raw material producer (Mufindi Paper Mills) to make the materials available for clients,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Makamba noted that processes to eradicate non-degradable plastic bottles for energy drinks were underway and soon will have fully been eradicated.