THE government has instructed regional and district commissioners to work with assistant registrars of cooperative societies to bring leaders of agricultural marketing cooperative societies (AMCOS) who colluded with cotton buyers to manipulate digital scales to face justice.

Dr Benson Ndiege, the registrar for the Tanzania Cooperative Development Commission (TCCD) said that the scales were distributed by the commission, as part of the government's efforts to supervise the acquisition and distribution of digital scales to cooperative societies. 

However, some cotton farmers in Lake Zone regions have complained about the accuracy of the scales, claiming some have been tampered with, he said, affirming that after the complaints, an investigation revealed that a group of scale experts had travelled to the Lake Zone regions to work with AMCOS leaders to sabotage some of the scales.

By June 2025, digital scales priced at over 15bn/- had been distributed to 4,534 cooperative societies across the country, scales were put into use after training was provided but after a while, incidents occurred where some scales were tampered with.

“For example, instead of giving you ten kilogrammes, it would give you nine. Some AMCOS leaders participated in this sabotage,” the registrar intoned, affirming that the government conducted thorough investigation into each cooperative society where sabotage was noticed.

Some AMCOS leaders had already been removed from their positions, he said, stressing that all AMCOS leaders who participated in the sabotage, in collaboration with scale experts, will be brought to court.

He said the preliminary investigation report shows that some managers and secretaries of cooperative societies were involved in the sabotage, which undermines government efforts to create a good environment for farmers.

“In all areas where these cotton scales were tampered with, and the report shows that secretaries or managers were involved, they were fined on the spot by the weights and measures agency. I am instructing all relevant regional registrars to work with regional and district commissioners to bring these people to the authorities,” he demanded.

“They have many offenses, including self-enrichment, and are economic saboteurs. If we let them go, the government's goals will not be achieved, and others might come along,” the coops’ CEO intoned.

Financial institutions have come up with a good initiative to offer crop insurance through cooperative societies, but it has not been well-implemented, he said regarding complaints about farmer insurance.

“Therefore, it is being suspended until the commission meets with the financial institutions to devise a better system to help farmers,” he affirmed, noting on the need for a better system that is well understood by the farmer, in setting criteria and procedures to ensure the deductions are fair and the benefits the farmer receives are clear.

Peter Nyakunga, an assistant registrar for Katavi Region, said that in the cotton sector, 73 scales were inspected and it was found that 56 had been tampered with. All those responsible were identified and fined.

The regional office had already written letters to 12 primary societies to instruct that all those involved, including those at the stations be removed immediately, he elaborated.

The suspects have been given seven days before being removed from their jobs and are now working with regional and district offices to ensure they are brought before the authorities for tampering with the scales so that the law can take its course, he specified.

The law stipulated that all cooperative society leaders who failed to supervise and perform their duties be removed from office and a new temporary board elected to manage the societies' activities, he added.