Wakutwa na heroine za bilioni 4/-

JESHI la Polisi Kitengo cha Kudhibiti Dawa za Kulevya nchini, limewakamata watu watano akiwemo raia wa Iran, Ali Mirzael Pirbaksh, kwa tuhuma za kukutwa na kilo 97 za dawa hizo aina ya heroine zenye thamani ya zaidi ya Sh bilioni 4.4.

Akizungumza na waandishi wa habari Dar es Salaam jana, Mkuu wa Kitengo hicho Kamishna Msaidizi Mwandamizi wa Polisi, Godfrey Nzowa, alisema kukamatwa kwa watuhumiwa hao kumetokana na taarifa walizopewa na raia wema.

Aliwataja watuhumiwa wengine kuwa ni Said Mrisho (31) wa Tandale, Aziz Kizingiti (32) wa Magomeni Mapipa, Abdul Lukongo (36) wa Kariakoo na Hamidu Karimu (43), wa Tandale.

Nzowa alisema watuhumiwa hao waliokuwa wamepakia dawa hizo ndani ya magari mawili, Toyota Carina namba T 954 BGT na Caldina namba T 107 BAS, walikamatwa jana saa 9.30 alifajiri eneo la Afrikana Mbuyuni, Kinondoni.

“Baada ya mimi kupewa taarifa za watu hao, nilichukua vijana wangu na kuwafuatilia taratibu katika maeneo waliyokuwa wakienda na hatimaye kuwakamata eneo hilo,” alisema Nzowa.

Alisema baada ya kuwahoji watuhumiwa hao, isipokuwa raia huyo wa Iran, ambaye ndiye anadaiwa kuingiza dawa hizo nchini, walidai kuwa zilikuwa mali ya Pirbaksh, ambaye hata hivyo hakuhojiwa baada ya kukosekana mkalimani.

Nzowa alisema watuhumiwa wote watafikishwa mahakamani wakati wowote upelelezi wa tukio hilo utakapokamilika, huku akiwataka wananchi wanaojihusisha au kutumiwa kufanya biashara hiyo kuacha, ili kuepuka mkono wa sheria.

Aidha, aliwashukuru wananchi kwa ushirikiano wanaolipa Jeshi hilo katika kupambana na biashara hiyo haramu, huku akiwataka kuendelea kudumisha uhusiano huo hadi mapambano hayo yatakapofanikiwa.

Mkuu wa Usalama wa Gaddafi ‘awasili Niamey’

Maafisa usalama Libya

Mkuu wa usalama wa Kanali Gaddafi ni miongoni mwa maafisa kadhaa washirika wakewaliowasili katika mji mkuu wa Niger, Niamey, maafisa wamesema.

Wanasema mkuu huyo, Mansour Daw, aliingia nchini Niger Juamapili akiwa amesafiri kupitia njia ya jangwani karibu na mji wa Agadez.

Wakati huo huo, msafara uliotajwa kuwa na washirika wa karibu wanaomtii Kanali Gaddafi ukiwa na silaha nzito na fedha na dhahabu umeelekea katika mji mkuu wa Niger. Maafisa wa Niger wanasema haiaminiki iwapo Kanali Gaddafi yuko pamoja nao.

Kamanda mwandamizi wa waasi alisema anaamini Kanali Gaddafi bado yuko Libya, lakini akiondoka kukimbia maeneo ambayo mapigano yanatokea.
"Tumepata taarifa kutoka vyanzo vingi kuwa anajaribu kusogea kusini kuelekea Chad au Niger," Hisham Buhagiar alisema katika mahojiano na shirika la habari la Reuters.
Kiongozi huyo wa zamani wa Libya ameapa kupigana mpaka kufa, hata kama amepoteza udhibiti katika sehemu kubwa ya nchi.

CUF, Chadema watunishiana misuli

CCM WAREJESHA FOMU KIMYAKIMYA, KIVUMBI CHA KAMPENI KUANZA LEO

Boniface Meena na Geofrey Nyang'oro, Igunga
CHAMA Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) na Chama cha Wananchi (CUF) vimeingia vitani katika uchaguzi mdogo wa Jimbo la Igunga baada ya kutunishiana misuli wakati wa kurejesha fomu za wagombea wao.Vyama hivyo ambavyo ofisi zao mjini hapa ziko karibu, vilianza kufanya maandalizi majira ya saa nne asubuhi kwa ajili ya kuwasindikiza wagombea wao kurudisha fomu, maandalizi ambayo yalikuwa ya ushindani mkubwa.

Ubabe ulianza pale CUF walipoanza kupiga muziki kwenye magari yao mawili aina ya Mitsubishi Fuso huku wakiitambia Chadema. Baadaye Chadema nao walijibu mapigo kwa kufungua muziki kwa sauti ya juu kwenye magari yao mawili pia aina ya Mitsubishi Fuso na kusababisha kelele nyingi katika eneo walilokuwapo.

Misafara yaingiliana
Wakati muziki ukiendelea, Chadema walitangaza msafara wao utakavyokwenda na kuanza kuwapanga wafuasi wao na magari yao huku CUF nao wakijipanga. Msafara wa Chadema ulipoanza kwenda ofisi za msimamizi wa uchaguzi na wa CUF nao uliingia.

Msafara wa CUF ulipita katikati ya ule wa Chadema na baada ya kufika mbele ukaziba njia.

Kitendo hicho kilitafsiriwa na wafuasi wa Chadema waliokuwa wametanda barabara nzima kuwa ni uchokozi hali iliyosababisha wafuasi wa vyama hivyo kuonyeshana ubabe kwa dakika kadhaa kabla ya Chadema kufanikiwa kupenya na kuendelea na safari ya kwenda Ofisi za Tume ya Uchaguzi.

Mzozo hadi kwa msimamizi
Chadema wakiwa na wafuasi wao, walifika katika ofisi ya msimamizi wa uchaguzi saa 8:00 mchana na mgombea wake kukabidhi fomu zake, lakini kabla hawajatoka, CUF nao waliingia na mgombea wao.

Nje ya ofisi ya msimamizi wa uchaguzi, nusura vurugu zitokee baada ya wafuasi wa vyama hivyo viwili kutaka kuchapana lakini walidhibitiwa na watu waliokuwapo katika eneo hilo. Mgombea wa CUF alikabidhi fomu yake saa 8:10 mchana huku wafuasi wao na wa Chadema wakizozana nje ya ofisi ya msimamizi huyo wa uchaguzi.

CCM, UPDP, wakabidhi kimyakimya

Wakati vyama hivyo viwili vikionyeshana ubabe, vyama vingine vya CCM, Chausta, UPDP, AFP na SAU vilirudisha fomu zao bila mbwembwe wala maandamano yoyote.

Mgombe wa CCM, Dk Dalaly Peter Kafumu alirudisha fomu yake saa 11:00 asubuhi akiwa na baadhi ya viongozi wa chama hicho na kusema kuwa kwa upande wake hali si mbaya na anategemea ushindi kutokana na kuwania nafasi hiyo mara tatu na kushindwa katika kura za maoni ndani ya chama hicho, hivyo kuwa na imani kuwa wananchi wengi wanamfahamu.

“Wapiga kura wasiwe na wasiwasi wa kunichagua kwa kuwa watakuwa wamepata mbunge ambaye anafaa. Nitatoa kipaumbele kwenye maji na barabara hasa za vijijini na pia Daraja la Mbutu ni changamoto. Hayo na kilimo cha pamba na ufugaji kufanya viwe vya kisasa ni mambo muhimu.”

Akijibu maswali ya waandishi wa habari baada ya kurejesha fomu, Dk Kafumu alitaja mikakati yake kuwa ni pamoja na kuifanya Igunga kuwa na maendeleo alisema miongoni mwa mambo atakayoyapa kipaumbele katika kuijenga Igunga ni kuboresha huduma za maji, miundombinu ya barabara hadi vijijini ikiwamo inayounganisha Igunga na Manonga.

“Baadhi ya mambo haya yameshafanywa kwa kiasi chake na mbunge wetu aliyepita, Rostam Aziz nitahakikisha kuanzia pale alipoishia na kuyaboresha zaidi," alisema.

Kwa upande wake, Msimamizi wa kampeni za CCM jimboni humo, Katibu wa NEC, Uchumi na Fedha, Mwigulu Nchemba alisema Dk Kafumu ndiye mwenye majawabu ya matatizo ya wananchi wa jimbo hilo tofauti na wa vyama vingine ambao alisema vina majibu tu.

Mgombea wa Chadema, Joseph Kashindye alisema atafanya kampeni za kistaarabu kwa kuwa shamrashamra zilizoonyeshwa na wananchi wa Igunga zimedhihirisha kuwa anakubalika.

“Nitafanya kampeni za kistaarabu wana Igunga wananikubali umati huu ni mkubwa, mwenyewe umeuona hiyo inajidhihirisha yenyewe,” alisema Kashindye.

Kuhusu CUF kuingilia msafara wao alisema: “Wananchi hawakuonyesha aina yoyote ya kutaka ugomvi lakini chama hiki (CUF) kinatuingilia wakati hata bado hatujamaliza kazi yetu. Barabarani wameingilia msafara na ofisi ya msimamizi pia wameingia wakati hatujamaliza kuwasilisha, huu si ustaarabu.”

CUF, SAU wajinadi
Mgombea wa CUF, Leopald Mahona alisema Wana Igunga wategemee maisha mapya ya kisiasa hasa kwa kuwa wana shida ya maji kitu ambacho ni kipaumbele cha kwanza. Pia alisema ataboresha sekta ya kilimo na mifugo kwa wakazi hao.

Akizungumzia kuingilia msafara wa Chadema alisema haoni kama kuna tatizo kwa kuwa hizo ni mbwembwe tu za kisiasa kwa hiyo hakuna shida.. “Wasukuma ni watu wapole na hakuna anayeweza kuleta vurugu. Amani itakuwapo ila ugomvi utaletwa na watu wengine ambao wana chuki binafsi.”

Mgombea wa SAU, John Magid alisema matarajio yake ni kuhakikisha kuwa katika kampeni anawaelimisha wananchi juu ya mabadiliko wanayoyahitaji kwani muda umewadia.

“Huu ndiyo muda wa muafaka wa kuyafikia matarajio hayo kwa njia ya kunipigia kura ili niwe mbunge wao na niweze kukaa nao na kuangalia mbinu za kuweza kufikia mafanikio katika uchumi,” alisema.

Sirro atua Igunga
Mkuu wa Kikosi cha Operesheni Maalumu cha Jeshi la Polisi, Simon Sirro aliwasili hapa jana kwa ajili ya kuhakikisha kampeni za uchaguzi huo zinafanyika kwa amani.

Sirro alisema kuwa jeshi la polisi limejipanga vyema kusimamia usalama katika uchaguzi huo unaotarajiwa kufanyika Oktoba 2 mwaka huu... “Tumejipanga vizuri na kazi inaendelea vizuri, nitakuwapo muda wote kwa kuwa ndiyo kazi yangu.”

Mbowe, Slaa kutua leo
Viongozi mbalimbali wa Chadema wakiongozwa na Mwenyekiti wake, Freeman Mbowe na Katibu Mkuu, Dk Willibrod Slaa wanatarajiwa kuwasili leo mjini hapa kwa ajili ya uzinduzi wa kampeni za chama hicho kesho.

Mbowe alisema jana kwamba pia watakuwapo wakurugenzi wote wa chama hicho na
wabunge mbalimbali katika timu hiyo.

Wakati huo huo, Mkuu wa Chama cha Wananchi (CUF) Seif Sharif Hamad ameishauri Kamati ya Usalama ya Wilaya ya Igunga kuacha kuingilia masuala ya uchaguzi mdogo unaotarajia kufanyika Oktoba 2 mwaka huu ili kuepusha vurugu.

Katibu huyo imevitaka vyama vyote vya siasa vinavyoshiriki uchaguzi mdogo wa Igunga kufuata taratibu na kutoingiliana katika mikutano yao ya kampeni.

Hamad ambaye pia ni Makamu wa Kwanza wa Rais Zanzibar, alitoa kauli hiyo jana akiwa katika siku ya tatu ya ziara yake ya kiserikali katika Mkoa wa Tabora, siku moja kabla ya kuanza kwa kampeni za uchaguzi huo mdogo unaoshirikisha vyama tisa vya siasa.

“Kiutaratibu, uchaguzi husimamiwa na Tume ya Uchaguzi ambayo kimsingi ni huru na isiyoingiliwa na upande wowote, lakini uzoefu unaonyesha kamati ya usalama huingilia kazi za tume. Acheni kuingilia kazi za tume ili uchaguzi huo uweze kufanyika kwa uhuru. Naamini hiyo pia itaepusha vurugu.”

Alisema kwa sasa Kamati ya usalama ya Wilaya inayoongozwa na Mkuu wa Wilaya ya Igunga, Fatuma Kimario ina kazi ngumu ya kuhakikisha uchaguzi huo unamalizika kwa amani na utulivu.

Alisema kama tume itaachiwa ifanye kazi yake kwa uhuru na kutenda haki, itawezesha wananchi wa Jimbo hilo kusikiliza sera za vyama na kuchagua mwakilishi anayewafaa.

Hamad alizitaka mamlaka kuachia vyama vya siasa kunadi sera zao akisisitiza kuwa hatua hiyo itawezesha wananchi kuchagua mbunge wanayemtaka. Alisema wakati mwingine uchaguzi hufanyika kwa amani na tulivu lakini tatizo huja wakati wa kujumlisha kura ambako nguvu hutumika bila sababu za msingi.

Kampeni za uchaguzi huo zinaanza leo katika kata 26 za Jimbo la Igunga mkoani Tabora.

Battle for Igunga on

The Citizen Reporters Dar es Salaam. Campaigns begin today ahead of what is expected to be a hotly contested parliamentary by-election in Igunga Constituency, Tabora Region.The election scheduled for October 2 has been necessitated by the resignation on July 13 of CCM’s Rostam Aziz, who quit after holding the seat for 17 years.A handful of political parties have nominated candidates for the race, but it is CCM, CUF and Chadema which are viewed as the main contenders.  Other parties lined up for the race are Chausta, UPDP, AFP, DP and SAU.CUF was the only opposition party to have fielded a candidate in the constituency in last year’s General Election, which saw Mr Aziz easily retain his seat. The by-election has attracted significant interest across Tanzania’s political spectrum, and some political analysts told The Citizen yesterday that there was much more at stake in Igunga than just a parliamentary seat. They hinted that although the next General Election was four years away, political parties viewed the Igunga poll a pointer to what would happen in 2015. The three top parties have vowed to use all means at their disposal, including helicopters, in their quest to reach as many voters as possible in the next 24 days. Retired President and former CCM national chairman Benjamin Mkapa is expected to launch the party’s campaign today. Several top CCM operatives have also been lined up to campaign for the party’s candidate, Dr Peter Kafumu. They include the party’s secretary for economic affairs, Mr Mwigulu Nchemba. Publicity and ideology secretary Nape Nnauye has been in Igunga for several days now laying the ground for the party’s campaign trail. Mr Nnauye told The Citizen by telephone last night that they were not under any pressure because “victory is guaranteed”. He said the Igunga poll was not different from previous by-elections in Tunduru, Mbeya Rural and Tarime, adding it was not unusual for prominent CCM members to campaign for the party’s candidates. “We sent (former President and party chairman Ali Hassan) Mwinyi to Mbeya Rural, while (party vice chairman Pius) Msekwa was in Tarime...Igunga is not that special,” Mr Nnauye said. He added: “Thirty-two of the 35 councillors in Igunga are from CCM  This means that we enjoy wide support in 35 wards, while our rivals can expect some degree of support in only three wards.” Mr Nnauye said the Opposition’s failure to agree on a single candidate would make CCM’s work “easier”. Senior Chadema officials could not be reached yesterday, but the party had already stated that all its top leaders, including chairman Freeman Mbowe and secretary-general Willibrod Slaa and almost all MPs, would campaign for the party’s candidate, Mr Joseph Kashindye. Mr Kashindye and his team of campaigners will crisscross the constituency by helicopter. CUF’s candidate is Mr Leopold Mahona, whose campaign will be launched by party secretary-general Seif Shariff Hamad, who is also Zanzibar’s First Vice-President.  Mr Mahona garnered 11,733 votes against Mr Aziz’s 35,674 in last year’s General Election. Mr Hamad said yesterday that party chairman Ibrahim Lipumba, vice-chairman Machano Khamis Ali and himself would lead the CUF campaign.Describing the events in Igunga, a senior lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam, Dr Azaveli Lwaitama, said a lot was at stake in the by-election. “Parties are out to show their power and prove that their ideologies work,” he said.He said CCM was intent on proving that its policy of cleansing itself of members perceived to be corrupt was working. “After managing to push Rostam out, they want to prove that the party is still strong by retaining the seat formerly held by him.” Dr Lwaitama said Chadema also badly wanted to win the seat to show that its stand against grand corruption was resonating among voters, while CUF was out to boost its presence in Parliament by winning a seat in the Mainland. “All parties are fully aware of what is at stake in Igunga, and that is why they have decided to send powerful teams to campaign for their candidates,” he said. A lecturer at the Open University of Tanzania, Mr Salim Othman Hamad, said the magnitude of resources set aside by the three main parties indicated the importance of the by-election.“Four years in politics is like one day.  The results might be a pointer to the parties’ prospects in 2015,” he said.The OUT lecturer said history favoured CUF because the party’s founder, Mr James Mapalala, and its current chairman, Prof Lipumba, both hail from Tabora Region. He said the party’s candidate was already well known among voters after campaigning ahead of last year’s General Election, adding that this should enable him to make a flying in the campaigns.

13-year-old uncovers nature's secret

He discovered that tree-branch patterns followed the Fibonacci mathematical principle, which helped gather more sunlight.

NEW  YORK - A 13-year-old has uncovered nature's secret, in particular, how trees gather more sunlight - even in the dark winter months - using a mathemathical principle known as the Fibonacci sequence.
Aidan Dawyer stumbled upon the discovery during a winter hike. Mesmerized by the spiral pattern of the tree branches, he sought to investigate why.

His investigative path led him to a mathematical formula called the "divine number", which applies to many things in nature, Dawyer wrote, in an article on the American Museum of Natural History's website.
Briefly, the Fibonacci sequence starts with the numbers 0 and 1, each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two – 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13…. These numbers, when put in ratios, happen to show up in the patterns of branches and leaves on trees.

After establishing that the tree patterns were not random, Dawyer then applied that knowledge to solar panel arrangements.

Dawyer built his own "solar tree", right in his own backyard. His experiment managed to prove that a "tree-branch" arrangement increased the amount of solar power harnessed as compared to when panels are laid flat.

Dawyer himself wrote: “The tree design takes up less room than flat-panel arrays and works in spots that don’t have a full southern view. It collects more sunlight in winter. Shade and bad weather like snow don’t hurt it because the panels are not flat. It even looks nicer because it looks like a tree. A design like this may work better in urban areas where space and direct sunlight can be hard to find.”

For his breakthrough, Dawyer earned himself a Young Naturalist award for 2011 at the American Museum of Natural History.

Not only that, he also got a provisional US patent and interest from "entities" eager to commercialize his innovation, reported the Northport Patch.

Terrorist' bomb hits Delhi High Court, nine killed

NEW DELHI - A powerful bomb ripped through a packed reception area at the entrance to New Delhi's High Court on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring 62, many of them petitioners waiting for their cases.

Police said the device had apparently been placed in a suitcase near the reception where more than 100 people were queueing for their entry passes to the court complex, located in the centre of the Indian capital.
The court buildings were evacuated as police blocked off the area and emergency services rushed the injured, some of them in a critical condition, to hospital.

"Nine people have been confirmed dead. The number of injured is now 62," Delhi police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.

The explosion occurred around 10:15 am (0445 GMT). There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Condemning the attack Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said India would not be bowed by terrorism.
"This is a cowardly act of a terrorist nature," Singh, who is currently on a visit to Bangladesh, told television reporters in Dhaka.

"This is a long war in which all political parties, all the the people of India, have to stand united so that this scourge of terrorism is crushed." Home Minister P. Chidamabaram, in a statement to parliament, called on people to remain "resolute and united" in the face of efforts to destabilise the country.
One police source said initial investigations suggested the bomb had contained potassium nitrate.

"More than 100 people were in a queue at the reception," Rahul Gupta, a petitioner whose case was listed for a hearing Wednesday, told AFP.
"Then there was a huge explosion. I saw a lot of people lying around in a pool of blood."

My impossible, beautiful life

By Gan Ling Kai It is easy, in today's hyper-paced world, to fast-forward Miss Ng Poh Peng's life from when she was a fragile eight-month-old to the miracle of the 20-year-old today. It would be convenient to sum up, in the blink of an eye, the way she was then, and now. But I would be cheating you if I did. I would be depriving you of a life deemed unlikely, of courage, of unconditional love. Miss Ng's plight once touched readers of The New Paper - perhaps you yourself or others like you - so much that $296,000 was donated to give her a chance at life. When she was a baby, doctors said she would be dead within two months, but she defied their prognosis. Today, Miss Ng should inspire you. As a baby, then just eight months old, doctors said she would be dead within two months. In October 1991, we wrote about her battle with congenital ichthyosis, a rare hereditary skin disorder. It causes her skin to flake off like fish scales, exposing pink skin underneath. To this day, there is no cure. But Miss Ng defied the doctors. She lived a month beyond their terminal deadline. Then six months. Then a year. And then 20 years. How? Love, she says. From unwavering, unconditional love, she found the courage and resilience to face life despite the way she looks. Her courage has not gone unnoticed. She was chosen to be one of the 2,400 Singaporeans who carried the Youth Olympic Games torch last year. Despite her skin condition, and the constant pain from arthritis, she persevered in school and, in March this year, obtained a Higher National ITE Certificate in Accounting. She now wants to be a data entry officer. But life continues to be a struggle.

"I thought I'd die from lightning strike"

S’pore film student gets entangled in barbed wire while running from Arizona storm.

SOMEWHERE near Tucson, Arizona, in south-western US last month, Mr Muhamad Faiz Abdul Rahim stood anxiously with his coursemates and lecturer under the pitch-black sky and torrential rain.
In the midst of filming and taking pictures of the storm, the 19-year-old heard his team leader shout out suddenly: “Storm coming!”

A frightened Mr Muhamad Faiz quickly grabbed his equipment and ran as fast as he could to safety.
But in his haste, he tripped and found himself tangled up in a barbed wire fence.

“Honestly, I thought I was going to be stuck there and get struck by lightning,” said the second-year student at Singapore Polytechnic, who is taking a Diploma in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics(DVEMG).
Fortunately, Mr Muhamad Faiz was not alone.

His coursemates helped untangle him from the barbed wire. Although slightly injured in the chest, he survived the thrills andchills of the thunderstorm.

Mr Muhamad Faiz, who aspires to make documentaries, and seven other fellow second-year students from SP’s School of Digital Media and Infocomm Technology (DMIT) left for the US for a six-day storm-chasing trip on Aug 13.

They were accompanied by their lecturer, Mr Lynus Hee, 33, who has taught for 2 1/2 years at the school.
The trip, which cost $5,200 a student, was partly subsidised by SP, which paid $2,000 a student.
Mr Hee said the trip was offered only to DVEMG studentsona “first-come-first-serve basis”.

Starving dogs in Indonesia eat owner

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Seven dogs starved of food and water for two weeks are suspected of eating their Indonesian owner after he returned to his hometown in Manado from a holiday, local media reported on Tuesday.

A neighbourhood guard was curious when he saw luggage lined up at the front of Andre Lumboga's house, days after the 50-year old arrived back home. He approached the house, smelled something foul and called the police, according to a report.

"His skull was found in the kitchen, and his body was found in the front of his house," Eriyana, a local police chief in Batam, an island off Sumatra, told VIVAnews website.

Lumboga arrived home last Wednesday, but his body was just discovered on Monday.
"We suspect that the dogs were hungry, so they attacked Andre, because they had not been fed for 14 days," he said.

Police also found bones of two other dogs, believed to have also been eaten by the hungry canines.
Lumboga was from northern Sulawesi island, a predominantly Christian area, where the local spicy diet is famous in Indonesia for including dogs, bats and forest rats.

Marufuku sukari sasa kuuzwa nje

SERIKALI imesimamisha leseni na vibali vyote vya uuzaji wa sukari nje ya nchi na kusimamia mipaka ili kudhibiti upitishwaji holela wa bidhaa hiyo.

“Kuanzia sasa mfanyabiashara atakayekamatwa amehodhi bidhaa hiyo kwa ajili ya kulangua au kuuza nje ya nchi kinyume na maagizo ya Serikali, ataadhibiwa kwa mujibu wa sheria na adhabu ni faini ya Sh milioni 30 au kifungo cha miaka mitatu jela au vyote,” amesema Katibu Mkuu wa Wizara ya Kilimo, Chakula na Ushirika, Mohammed Muya.

Hata hivyo akizungumza jana na waandishi wa habari kuhusu matatizo ya kupanda kwa bei ya sukari nchini, Muya alisema hatua hiyo inachukuliwa ingawa upo ugumu kutokana na mazingira ya soko la pamoja la Afrika Mashariki.

Lakini pia alisema Serikali imeamua kutoa leseni kwa wingi kwa wafanyabiashara wa sukari kuingiza bidhaa hiyo kwa wingi kutoka nje ya nchi, huku Serikali nayo ikiagiza tani 120,000 za bidhaa hiyo kwa lengo la kukabiliana na upungufu uliopo.

Alisema kiasi hicho cha sukari kinajumuisha tani 20,000 zilizoingizwa kutoka nchi za Jumuiya ya Maendeleo Kusini mwa Afrika (SADC) katika kipindi cha Mfungo wa Mwezi Mtukufu wa Ramadhani na tani 100,000 zilizobaki zitaagizwa kutoka kwingine.

Halikadhalika kwa upande wa hatua za muda mrefu za kudhibiti upungufu wa sukari nchini, Serikali inapitia maeneo yanayofaa kwa kilimo cha miwa na kwa kushirikiana na Bodi ya Sukari nchini, itahakikisha hatua zinachukuliwa ili kupata wawekezaji katika eneo hilo.

Hata hivyo, Muya alisema kiwango cha uzalishaji sukari nchini kinatosheleza mahitaji, lakini tatizo kubwa ni bidhaa hiyo kuuzwa kwa magendo Kenya na Uganda.

Alisisitiza kuwa utekelezaji wa hatua za kudhibiti hali hiyo alizozitangaza jana ulianza mara moja.

Muya alisema tathmini iliyofanywa na wizara yake, ilibaini kuwa bei ya sukari Uganda na Kenya iko juu ikilinganishwa na bei ya bidhaa hiyo nchini.

Alisema Kenya sukari inauzwa Sh 4,000 za Tanzania kwa kilo na Uganda ni Sh 3,500 hali inayosababisha wafanyabiashara wengi nchini kuivusha kimagendo na kuiuza katika nchi hizo.

Aliongeza kuwa kutokana na hali hiyo, hali ya sasa ya upatikanaji wa sukari nchini si nzuri kwa kuwa imepungua na kusababisha bei kupanda kutoka bei elekezi ya Sh 1,700 iliyokubaliwa na wadau katika kikao kilichosimamiwa na Waziri Mkuu, Mizengo Pinda, Machi.

Alisema pamoja na hayo pia imefahamika sukari katika soko la dunia inauzwa kwa dola kati ya 700 na 900 za Marekani kwa tani na ikiingizwa nchini bila kodi bei yake inafikia Sh 1,300 kwa kilo.

Mkurugenzi wa Bodi ya Sukari Tanzania, Mathew Kombe, alisema kiasi cha sukari kilichozalishwa nchini mwaka huu ni tani 306,000 ambacho ni sawa na kilichozalishwa mwaka jana. “Kwa sasa kila kiwanda kinazalisha tani 44,000 wakati mahitaji ya nchi ni tani 31,000.”

Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Kiwanda cha Sukari cha Kagera, Ashwin Rana, alisema uzalishaji wa bidhaa hiyo unaendelea kama kawaida na hakuna upungufu, tatizo ni uuzwaji kwa magendo nje ya nchi na kuitaka Serikali idhibiti tatizo hilo na si kuagiza sukari zaidi kutoka nje.

Viwanda vingine vinavyozalisha sukari pamoja na Kagera, ni Mtibwa, Kilombero na TPC, ambavyo vyote vilianza uzalishaji wa bidhaa hiyo Juni hadi Agosti mwaka huu.