Friday, June 26, 2009

SUMATRA Told To Act On Transporters Hiking Charges!

The Surface and Marine Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) has been requested to take action against truck owners hiking transport costs despite the fuel price reduction.
Speaking with the ‘Guardian’ at the weekend in Dar es salaam chairperson of the Passengers Emancipation Association (CHAKUA) Modest Mfilinge, said high transport costs have fuelled increase of food prices in most places in the country.
He said following the fall in prices of oil at world market, stakeholders agreed to reduce the costs of transportation, but transporters gave a cool response to the agreement.
“In March this year SUMATRA convened a meeting with transporters where we agreed to reduce the costs of transportation by twelve percent per kilometer, but that has not been implemented todate”, he said.
He said the cost of transporting 10 tonnes of rice from Kilosa to Dar es salaam rose from 300,000/- in March to 800,000/- leading to a hike in the retail price of foodstuffs. Transportation costs for foodstuffs and other goods has gone up but more than 170 percent.
A survey in different markets reveal that an unusual hike in prices of foodstuffs and other goods in the local market. A kilo of rice at Buguruni, Kariakoo, Tandale, and Tandika markets has been bouncing between 1,450/- and 1,600/-
Maize that was sold at between 700/- and 850/- per kilogramme is now selling at between 1,000/- and 1,100/- respectively.
A 100-kilogramme bag of groundnuts for instance, is taxed between 2,500/- and 3,500/- respectively.
“After spending a lot on transporting food products from the farms and paying government taxes, we are compelled to sell a kilogramme of groundnuts between 1,500/- and 1,600/- to make some profit, although the buying price was 1,200/-,” said Juma Kidaha a businessman at Tandale market”
Source: The Guardian

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