Magufuli asked to wade into export row..check this out
- A key question the exporters of frogs, monkeys, monitor lizards and the like are asking is why they were granted licenses in January, only be banned hardly two months later
LIVE wild animal exporters have requested President John Magufuli’s personal intervention in their ongoing conflict with Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Jumanne Maghembe over a ban on their potentially lucrative business imposed by the minister back in March this year.
The exporters of frogs, monitor lizards, lizards, birds and insects want an audience with the president himself as soon as possible to let him know how the three-year ban has impacted their lives and families.
According to Tanzania Wildlife Exporters Association (TWEA) chairman Adam Waryoba, a key question that the exporters are seeking an answer for is why the government issued the exporters with official licenses in January if there was a plan in the pipeline to impose the ban just two months later.
Other questions include why the animals that were already packed and checked ready for export at the time of the ban have remained blocked from being sold for all these months, and what is the fate of Tanzanians who had become dependent on the business to earn them a decent living.
“We don’t believe the president himself could have issued such a ban… we want him to know what is happening as he has been emphasizing to his lieutenants (ministers) to look after the interests of Tanzanians before all else,” Waryoba told The Guardian in an exclusive interview over the weekend.
It remains unclear if the ban on live animal exports – announced by Maghembe in March and reiterated by the same minister in his budget presentation in June – had tacit government backing or was primarily a ministerial decision.
According to a ministry statement issued after a heated, late-night meeting between Maghembe and TWEA officials in his office mid-last week, the ministry intends to carry out a thorough analysis on how best the live animals export business can be conducted to ensure both government and exporters benefit.
This includes a review of how much the government has been getting from each animal that was being exported by going through past receipts and permits issued to the exporters, the statement said.
In his March announcement of the ban, minister Maghembe said it would be force form at least three years, until proper procedures are made to ensure only approved animals are transported. He also cited ‘irregularities’ in the way the business was being conducted.
But according to TWEA’s Waryoba, the main issue at the moment is that the cost of maintaining animals which were already packed for export at the time of the ban is becoming unbearingly high, and therefore the matter needs to be resolved sooner rather than later.
He pointed out that some TWEA members had even borrowed money from banks to transport the animals, and it is now not known when or how that money will be paid back to the banks.
“We have all the documents and it is the government itself that gives approval… we do not understand what kind of a review can take as long as three years, which is what the minister wants us to believe,” he said.
He also moved to dismiss an argument put forward by the minister that some of the animals were being sold at too low a price. According to Waryoba, live wild animal export is an internationally-regulated business where all prices are open and transparent.
The TWEA chairman said animals from Tanzania have a high demand in international markets, and it was a thriving business with over 500 export licenses issued in the current quota and all operational before the ban was imposed.
Unofficial data indicates that about 1.3 billion/- is collected in form of revenue to the veterinary department by the end of every quota.
Vaccination for a monkey before it is exported costs about 30,000/- to 50,000/-, and all payments are made directly into a bank account under the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
According to TWEA, the business employs about one million people and that since the ban was announced there are those who have opted to seek help in international courts.
One of their arguments is that the government does not hesitate to spend a lot of money to kill many of these wild animals whenever they cause havoc, but people who are trying to help reduce their numbers and at the same time contribute to the national economy are being hindered.
The one-year licenses issued to the exporters on January 1 this year in the current quota are set to expire at the end of this month (Saturday, December 31).
According to Tanzania Wildlife Exporters Association (TWEA) chairman Adam Waryoba, a key question that the exporters are seeking an answer for is why the government issued the exporters with official licenses in January if there was a plan in the pipeline to impose the ban just two months later.
Other questions include why the animals that were already packed and checked ready for export at the time of the ban have remained blocked from being sold for all these months, and what is the fate of Tanzanians who had become dependent on the business to earn them a decent living.
“We don’t believe the president himself could have issued such a ban… we want him to know what is happening as he has been emphasizing to his lieutenants (ministers) to look after the interests of Tanzanians before all else,” Waryoba told The Guardian in an exclusive interview over the weekend.
It remains unclear if the ban on live animal exports – announced by Maghembe in March and reiterated by the same minister in his budget presentation in June – had tacit government backing or was primarily a ministerial decision.
According to a ministry statement issued after a heated, late-night meeting between Maghembe and TWEA officials in his office mid-last week, the ministry intends to carry out a thorough analysis on how best the live animals export business can be conducted to ensure both government and exporters benefit.
This includes a review of how much the government has been getting from each animal that was being exported by going through past receipts and permits issued to the exporters, the statement said.
In his March announcement of the ban, minister Maghembe said it would be force form at least three years, until proper procedures are made to ensure only approved animals are transported. He also cited ‘irregularities’ in the way the business was being conducted.
But according to TWEA’s Waryoba, the main issue at the moment is that the cost of maintaining animals which were already packed for export at the time of the ban is becoming unbearingly high, and therefore the matter needs to be resolved sooner rather than later.
He pointed out that some TWEA members had even borrowed money from banks to transport the animals, and it is now not known when or how that money will be paid back to the banks.
“We have all the documents and it is the government itself that gives approval… we do not understand what kind of a review can take as long as three years, which is what the minister wants us to believe,” he said.
He also moved to dismiss an argument put forward by the minister that some of the animals were being sold at too low a price. According to Waryoba, live wild animal export is an internationally-regulated business where all prices are open and transparent.
The TWEA chairman said animals from Tanzania have a high demand in international markets, and it was a thriving business with over 500 export licenses issued in the current quota and all operational before the ban was imposed.
Unofficial data indicates that about 1.3 billion/- is collected in form of revenue to the veterinary department by the end of every quota.
Vaccination for a monkey before it is exported costs about 30,000/- to 50,000/-, and all payments are made directly into a bank account under the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.
According to TWEA, the business employs about one million people and that since the ban was announced there are those who have opted to seek help in international courts.
One of their arguments is that the government does not hesitate to spend a lot of money to kill many of these wild animals whenever they cause havoc, but people who are trying to help reduce their numbers and at the same time contribute to the national economy are being hindered.
The one-year licenses issued to the exporters on January 1 this year in the current quota are set to expire at the end of this month (Saturday, December 31).
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