DAR ES SALAAM, June 15 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — TANZANIA Coffee Board (TCB) is planning to introduce an online auction for coffee in a bid to increase efficiency and boost bidding competitiveness.
The online platform, dubbed ‘Centralized Green Coffee Auctions’, will increase both the number of coffee buyers and farmers’ earnings.
TCB Mbeya Regional Coffee Development Officer, Sijali Bowa said the online platform will change the current auction pattern from a weekly basis to daily one, while giving bidders access to the market at their fingertips.
“The introduced of the online auction will cut down bidders’ travelling costs incurred every week to Kilimanjaro to attend a physical market,” Bowa said when addressing coffee stakeholders meeting here.
Bowa, who represented the TCB Director General, Primus Kimaryo, said the online auction will also increase the number of coffee buyers because they will have enough time to bid for coffee available in the market on the material day.
“The system will also create competition in coffee prices among bidders because it may push up demand, which its impact will be felt on the last price,” he said.
The country’s coffee regulator also embarked on a campaign to educate stakeholders, especially farmers on how the coffee auction is conducted before the launch.
“TCB receives numerous questions asking why coffee prices are hardly fluctuating. The online auction is projected to increase price volatility,” Bowa said.
TCB will hold training yearly prior to the start of the coffee buying seasons. The training will not only feature e-auction awareness but also how to increase the quality of coffee beans.
Kilimanjaro Acting Regional Administrative Secretary (RAS), Dr Jahir Khanga said, on behalf of the Regional Commissioner, Nurdin Babu, that the stakeholders should air their challenges openly to enable the government deal with the same accordingly.
