FCC ADVISES BRAND OWNERS TO COOPERATE

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Author: HILDA MHAGAMA 
AfricaPress-Tanzania: BRAND owners have been advised to cooperate with the Fair Competition Commission (FCC) so that they can advise them to maintain brand equity, protect the reputation and safeguard consumers.

FCC Director General, Mr John Mduma made the call at the just ended Nanenane Agricultural Exhibitions in Bariadi District, Simiyu region.

“Brand is a private property, thus, we advise them to work together with us so that when it grows in the market consumers recognize it easily,” he said.

He further said so far counterfeit agricultural inputs have grown to be a major challenge that for many years cost the social-economy affecting anticipated productivity in the sector, brand owners must ensure they provide education on the best way to differentiate their products in the market.

To curb that challenge, the government has also launched counterfeit agriculture inputs detection technology dubbed T-Hakiki an SMS based scheme that involves dialling USSD code *148*52# and texting a unique serial number provided in each seed bag, fertiliser pack or pesticides containers to verify the authenticity of the inputs and is available across all mobile Network operators free of charge.

For the past five years, said Mr Mduma the FCC has confiscated counterfeit agriculture inputs worth 600mil/-.

Some counterfeit goods seized were forged and others lacked the trademark’s identification mark, manufacturer’s address and country of origin.

He said competition in business is a good thing that brings productivity, product selection and innovation but fake counterfeit pesticides can also have a quality problem that impedes the expected result.

The FCC has conducted 14 inspections in collaboration with Tanzania Bureau Standard (TBS), Interpol Tanzania and other government institutions and was able to identify and seize counterfeit and unmarked products such as iron sheets, wine and pipes.

Mr Mduma said the FCC took part in the fair with the purpose to raise public awareness on issues prohibited by competition law, how to identify counterfeit goods, how to file a consumer complaint, the impact of counterfeit goods and how competition law contributes to agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors.

According to the International Journal of Computer Applications: Combating Fake Agro-Inputs Products in Tanzania using Mobile Phones, published in July 2014, there have been many incidences of fake/counterfeit pesticides in the country, about 40 per cent of agro-inputs (seeds, fertilisers and pesticides) in Tanzania are reported to be counterfeits.

The FCC is a public institution established under section 62(1) of the Fair Competition Act, No.8 of 2003 (FCA), to promote and protect effective competition in trade and commerce and protect consumers from unfair and misleading market conduct.

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