Tanzania government evaluates cooperative system

Dodoma. Tanzania government is evaluating the cooperative system to make them more useful and to operate as business.

Deputy Minister for Agriculture Mr Hussein Bashe told the National Assembly on Tuesday September 10, 2019 that the cooperatives are currently operating as middlemen.

"We want to review their structure, operation, supervision and member resources to make them more meaningful. The cooperatives are the true representative of smallholder farmers but they are playing as the middlemen of farmers," said MrBashe.

He was responding to a question asked by Ms Amina Makilagi (Special Seats-CCM).

In her question, she wanted to know the government strategies to ensure the co-operatives are strong enough to work for Tanzanians.

Mr Bashe said reviving the co-operatives was in the ruling party manifesto considering the current weaknesses experienced in the co-operatives of different crops such as cotton, coffee, sugarcane and sesame which their leaders were accused of mishandling resources.

Mr Bashe said the government also planned to convince groups of women and youths to from the co-operatives; and forming saving co-operatives.