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Ethiopia: Consumer Associations Urge Gov't to Honor Pledge for Support
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The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
18 April 2008
Posted to the web 18 April 2008
Addis Ababa
Four consumer cooperative associations in the capital Addis Ababa on Tuesday complained they were no more in a position to offer services to their members, blaming lack of pledged support from the government.
Cooperative associations, were organized at the end of 1999 E.C. with a view to counter price hike on consumer goods by offering at optimum price.
However, limited financial resource and problem ofwas crippling ability to discharge duties and responsibilities for the benefit of consumers.
Chairpersons of the four associations jointly told The Daily Monitor on Tuesday that unless credit and storage facilities were obtained as has been promised by the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), it would be difficult for them to live up to their expectations.
"First of all we need credit facility because producers are not willing to put forward such as credit sales," said one of them-Yared Eshetu, Chairman of Yemaaedot Consumer's Association.
"Second, we have no storage house. This is another problem." Yared said his association in the Arada sub city could not make both ends meet with meager contribution of a monthly 130 ETB per.
Chairman of Serto Melewot Consumer's Association, Lemma Deressa on his part called for the Ministry of Trade and Industry to commit itself to resolve their problems they could be able to serve their members properly.
"We tried in vain for the ministry to implement what it promised a month ago to grant the association a credit facility and storage house," said another Demeke Getachew, who is the chairman of Maleda Universal Consumer's association.
According to Demeke, the ministry pledged to facilitate credit and housing for storage through cooperative organizations and microfinance institutions.
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Five companies such as Get AS international trading, AL-Sam plc and other two producers pledged to offer edible oil soap and sugar through cooperative associations as well as merchandise whole sell and import trade enterprise on 11th and 14th March 2008 at a press conference held at MOTI.
Nonetheless, the chairpersons of Yemaedot ; Sertomelewot; Maleda and Hibir consumer cooperative associations said that they are unable to discharge their duties due to the bottleneck at microfinance institutions and storage problem.
Public Relations Officer of MOTI Ato Hailu Abebe said the ministry was looking on how to support those consumer associations through branch offices and cooperative organizations and that it was too early to complain.
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