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Mengi criticises unscrupulous food dealers
2008-05-07 09:22:27
By Judica Tarimo
World Food Programme ambassador for `Fight Hunger Initiative` Reginald Mengi, yesterday criticised business dealers for gross misuse of the free market economy, and asked the government to put in place a legal and regulatory framework to control prices of food products.
``Free market does not mean absolute freedom. Some business people are misusing this notion to deliberately charge high prices on food products, causing acute shortage of food in our country,`` he said.
Mengi was speaking at the official launch of the World Food Programme (WFP) - Walk the World-2008, a global initiative for raising funds to support countries and communities facing food shortage.
Many Tanzanian schools had been and are still benefiting from food assistance by the programme.
Mengi said Tanzania was endowed with huge fertile land, which could produce sufficient quantities of food to feed school children.
``Dishonest traders are selling food products, beyond affordability of families and community at grassroots levels, that`s why I insist the government should control food prices,`` he said.
``These people (traders) should not be allowed to set high prices for food under the pretext of free market regime. There is need for the government to set up regulations and mechanisms to control food prices,`` he added.
He said thousands of children stay away from school because of hunger, so he called on the private sector, government institutions, organisations and agencies to contribute generously to the Walk the World, a charity walk scheduled to take place on June 1, this year.
WFP Fight Hunger Ambassador thanked individuals and organisations who contributed USD74,914 during last year`s, `Walk the World,` which he said was used to purchase 362 metric tonnes of maize for schools in the country.
For her part, Deputy Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Gaudencia Kabaka, said introduction of WFP school-feeding programme has recorded significant improvements in realisation of the country`s Millennium Development Goals.
``In schools that receive food assistance, children attendance has improved, enrolment increased, children are concentrating better in class, and performance in national examinations has largely improved,`` said the minister.
The programme, according to Kabaka, is currently assisting 200,000 children in schools in Arusha, Manyara, Dodoma, and Singida regions.
The Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children Affairs, Lucy Nkya, described parents, families, and women as instrumental in the country`s campaign against food shortage in schools.
``Women, key producers of food products, and families, need to be sensitised, mobilised and encouraged to produce more food crops.We have to design strategic plans to encourage these social groups to produce sufficient food for school children,`` said the minister, in a speech read on her behalf by the Director of Children in her ministry, Alice Rugumyamheto.
The government is drawing up a policy to address food security at family and community levels including schools, and the importance of sufficient food at different levels.
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