DODOMA: The government is in the move to set up a dedicated forest products market to cut out middlemen and improve earnings for farmers and communities.
Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Hamad Hassan Chande told Parliament in Dodoma that the plan is already underway, with Mafinga district council and the Ministry of Industry and Trade leading implementation.
He was responding to Mafinga MP Dickson Lutevele, who pushed for clarity on efforts to regulate direct buyer-farmer transactions in the timber sector.
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Chande said Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) is involved in identifying land, shaping the investment model, and sourcing funds for the project.
He said consultations are ongoing as the government pushes to formalise forest product trade.