THE government has formed a special team to devise the best strategy for reducing levies and taxes on seaweeds without affecting tax collections.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Industries, Hassan Khamis Hafidh told the House of Representatives that the team comprises experts from the ministries of trade, finance, agriculture and other institutions.
He was answering a question by Paje Representative Jaku Hashim Ayoub, who decried a myriad of taxes and charges on the cash crop and wanted to know the government strategy to reduce the charges.
The deputy minister said the government was always working hard to ensure that seaweed growers benefited from their activities by getting favourable prices.
Some of the government efforts, Mr Khamis said, include the hiring of seaweed experts from Indonesia who came to Zanzibar to train farmers on appropriate growing of the cash crop to get high prices.
The Indonesian trained farmers in Makangale, Chikocho, Tumbe and Kukuu in Pemba as well as Bweleo, Mungoni and Pwani Mchangani in Unguja, the deputy minister told the house.
And, thanks to the training, already seaweed prices have started increasing, with the spinosum variety fetching 1,000/-per kilogramme from the previous 600/-.
The Cottonii seaweeds trade at between 1,500/- and 1,600/-from the previous 1,000/-per kilogramme, said the deputy minister.
He reaffirmed the government’s willingness to meet seaweed growers and traders for fruitful deliberations on the prosperity of the cash crop.
