Traders told to brand Mbarali rice
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Mr Mfune said the aim is to ensure that rice from the district was well recognised to avoid profit-mongering traders who sell produce from other regions claiming that it is from Mbarali.
Mbarali. Mr Reuben Mfune, the Mbarali District Commissioner (DC), has reminded rice traders of the importance of branding and packaging before the product enters the market.
Mr Mfune said the aim is to ensure that rice from the district was well recognised to avoid profit-mongering traders who sell produce from other regions claiming that it is from Mbarali.
The commissioner made the remark after visiting paddy mills at Ubaruku Ward where he disclosed that the district had a total of 18 mills plus the other for producing packing materials. “We will now allow people to take rice out of Mbarali, but we need traders to transport the commodity in special packages bearing the logo of the district,” said the DC.
“Customers nowadays go to the market to buy rice, but unscrupulous traders sell to them substandard rice claiming that it is from Mbarali. We don’t want this to continue that’s why we must package and brand our product.”
He added that the rice production has gone down this year because of insufficient rains, adding that a big number of farmers decided not to cultivate. Besides, the DC advised the Mbarali residents not to sell their yields to avoid hunger.
“We had low rainfall this season, which has affected the quantity of production, for instance, last year we had a surplus of 200,000 tons of paddy, but this year, it is impossible to get to that figure. Our early estimates show that we will have at least 87,000 tons,” he said. “So, I would like to advise the residents that they should keep preserving what they have reaped this season. They must not be tempted to sell because of high prices that are on offer,’ said the DC.
A rice trader at Ubaruku Ward, George Mbilah, said the decision of the government calling for better package of rice was good for it would make the Mbarali rice to be uniquely identified in and outside the district.
However, he said this would be possible only if a proper system was introduced on how to obtain such packages at affordable prices.
A farmer, Joseph Ngungulu, concurred with the district administration on food storage, urging every household to heed the advice.
