The government has distributed over 3,000 digital scales, valued at 8bn/- , to the southern regions as part of efforts to prevent fraud in crop measurements.

These scales are integrated with the Electronic Cooperative Management System (MUVU) to enhance transparency and accountability.

This was revealed by the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission (TCDC), Dr. Benson Ndiege, during an interview yesterday, where he discussed the ongoing distribution of the scales across various regions.

"The government continues to distribute digital scales, and so far, more than 3,000 have been delivered to the southern regions to strengthen the MUVU system and curb fraudulent practices previously conducted by some crop buyers," Dr. Ndiege stated.

He explained that the southern regions of Lindi, Mtwara, and Ruvuma have 700 cooperative societies with multiple crop collection points, and the introduction of digital scales will help reduce fraud, ensuring farmers receive fair payments for their produce.

"By integrating these scales with the MUVU system, data becomes fully transparent—not only for cooperatives and the registrar’s office but also directly accessible to farmers via their mobile phones," he added.

Dr. Ndiege emphasized the government’s commitment to ensuring all crops are weighed using digital scales connected to the system, addressing longstanding complaints from farmers about inaccurate measurements.

He explained that once a farmer weighs their sesame or cashew nuts, they immediately receive a mobile notification showing the weight of their produce and the corresponding payment.

"This information is also sent to cooperative societies and the registrar’s office, eliminating fraud. The government is focused on distributing these scales and educating farmers about the system’s benefits to protect them from exploitation. Our ultimate goal is to completely eradicate theft," he stated.

Beyond the 3,000 scales for sesame and cashew nuts, Dr. Ndiege noted that the government has also distributed 2,000 digital scales for coffee and plans to acquire 4,000 more for cotton crops in the Lake Zone regions.

"The aim is for every crop to be weighed using digital scales linked to the MUVU system, ensuring farmers are no longer exploited by buyers using substandard weighing equipment," he said.

He further highlighted that while the nationwide distribution of digital scales is ongoing, training on the MUVU system has already been conducted in 26 regions of mainland Tanzania. This training has involved assistant registrars of cooperatives, cooperative officers, managers, and chairpersons of major cooperative societies.