THE Deputy Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Mr Abdallah Ulega, has disclosed that his ministry will not tolerate reckless officials who create loopholes for revenue loss in the sector.
Mr Ulega also ordered the officials to desist from business as usual attitude and instead run the two sectors commercially to contribute in the economic growth of the country.
This was observed in Dodoma on Friday when the Deputy Minister was received by the ministry’s management for the first time after arriving from a special livestock evacuation and illegal fishing operation in four regions situated at the country’s borders.
“The government is losing a lot of its revenues due to the many loopholes resulted by poor supervision…I have discovered this in several areas I visited and gave directives on the way forward. What we require is revolution in the sector, and we are all here for the effective supervision of the move,” observed Mr Ulega.
He identified some of the potential areas including livestock auction centres located at the country’s borders, giving six months for authorities to improve infrastructure at Kirumi Livestock Centre to increase revenue collection.
He further noted that it was high time livestock keepers start operating through some form of licensing to enable supervision and monitor various issues including that of vaccination. “The government is committed to ensure that important requirements in the sector are being dealt with through the support of stakeholders.
Such issues include animal dips, reliable electricity and scales,” he noted. In tackling conflicts between herders and farmers in the country, the Deputy Minister said the government in collaboration with other state organs is going on with land surveying exercise in order to allocate areas for livestock keeping.
Among other things, he directed the officials to improve revenue collection systems and do away with the old system which will help cover loopholes for fraud.
The Permanent Secretary in the same ministry, Dr Maria Mashingo said the ministry was working to see that all former systems are improved to match with the current state.
She challenged stakeholders of the sector, particularly the herders, to adhere to the land laws in achieving transformations for the better good of the economy.
The Permanent Secretary (fisheries sector), Dr Yohan Budeba was keen to note that the ministry has prepared itself to make illegal fishing a thing of the past.
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