Chris Obore
3 September 2007
Kampala — Rice imported by S.W.T Tanners Ltd has been declared fit for human consumption by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards.
The declaration was made to refute recent press reports in which S.W.T Tanners was listed as one of the companies in Uganda that import substandard and adulterated goods into the country and therefore unfit for human consumption.
Press reports recently said the company had imported 2,000 bags of water soaked and weevil infested rice.
However, UNBS's Head of Import Inspection Division Gyaviira Musoke said the listing of Tanners was an error.
"Tanners' rice is of high quality. In fact its what we eat at home but some of the bags got spoiled on transit and they down graded it," he said.
The 2,000 water soaked bags, Mr Musoke said had also been declared to UNBS by Tanners.
Following press reports exposing firms that import fake products, S.W.T Tanners wrote to UNBS protesting their being listed.
"We would like to state that the 2,000 bags of water soaked rice referred to were not imported as fake products but only got damaged due to moisturising on transit," reads the petition signed by Mr Mike Bagenda, the operations manager at S.W.T Tanners.
According to Mr Bagenda, the consignments were duly verified upon arrival and a report duly issued by UNBS.
"The way forward was resolved as conversion of these bags into animal feed to which permission was sought from Uganda Revenue Authority and the same was granted," Mr Bagenda said.
URA authorised S.W.T Tanners to convert the water soaked rice into animal feed.
"Following an inspection from URA chemist section and Uganda National Bureau of Standards which found that your rice was damaged, permission is hereby granted to down grade the water soaked rice into animal feed," reads URA's letter to S..W.T Tanners.
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