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Step up war on dumping, counterfeits, govt told
2007-09-04 09:15:40
By Felix Andrew
The government has been advised to take stringent measures against people found selling counterfeit products currently on the increase and threatening to retard the country`s development.
This was said at the weekend in Dar es Salaam by some city residents at a grand promotion conducted by Motorola Corporation which opened shop which would be selling Motorola products.
They said Tanzania had been a dumping site of counterfeit and substandard products and urged the government to take measures against people found involved in the business.
``We have various government authorities such as Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), Tanzania Food and Drug Authority (TFDA) and Customs, all of which could assist bring the situation under control,`` said Juma Mkusa, a city resident.
He said there was an increase in counterfeit products being smuggled into the country, warning that if the trend was not checked it would adversely affect the country`s economy.
Mkusa noted that such products were proving costly to the customers because they had a short life span.
Another resident, Francis Sichalwe, said joint efforts were needed to fight counterfeit products and dumping.
``This challenge calls for collaborative support from the people, government and the business community, ``he said.
He said the community and businesspeople had to educated on effects of selling and buying counterfeit products.
For his part, Mohamed Kasongo, the owner of Merseytel Moto Duka, a Motorola dealer, conceded that the problem of counterfeit products, especially mobile handsets, was on the increase.
``The problem here is that many people tend to opt for cheap products which are of low quality and a short life span,`` he said.
Explaining on the dealership, Kasongo said the contract would enable him sell Motorola products which were directly imported from the United States of America.
He said he planned to extend services countrywide, starting with Arusha, Mbeya and Mwanza regions.
``We also plan to introduce a mobile bus which would be providing services in rural areas,`` he said.
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