PRIME Minister Kassim Majaliwa has annulled the grain auction that was conducted by Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) last Tuesday, ordering for re-tendering.The move comes after the premier learnt that the previous process was marred by a lot of irregularities.
Cereal crops that were auctioned are 5,000 tonnes of maize and 460.12 tonnes of wheat and the public sale was in response to the fact that the concerned traders failed to meet custom requirements.The consignment was imported in March 2017.
He gave the authority’s Commissioner for Customs and Excise Mr Ben Asubisye until tomorrow to accomplish the task.Mr Majaliwa issued the directive yesterday in Dar es Salaam at his Magogoni’s office when he met the commissioner.
“The maize was sold at 340/- per kilo which is less than the market price. Now a kilo of maize sells at 800/-. The duration that the tender was announced was too short to allow many people to participate,” he remarked.
Similarly, the premier has stressed that the TRA management must ensure that the next auction is conducted transparently and involves as many people as possible.“Since the auction is done online, ensure that the internet service is availed to all people who will be interested in submitting their tenders,” he stressed.
