INFORMATION REPORTING, PRESENTATION AND DISSEMINATION

The Product - present practice.

The whole exercise at the moment is oriented towards producing average prices per liveweight kilo for each of 15 cattle grade-sex combinations (GSC's) (Bulls, Steers and Cows, grades 0-4 inclusive). This is done on a weekly and again on a monthly basis. Additionally, the system produces an estimate of the number of animals, average weight and average price for each grade and sex of animal.

The weekly information for Dar es Salaam (only) is put out on national radio in Swahili (this is charged for - rate not known to me); it is also given to several English language newspapers, of which only the Daily News (the Government newspaper) publishes the information. No file of newspaper cuttings or radio transcripts is kept by either MDB or TLMP at the moment. About 30 copies of the weekly report are disseminated.

The weekly information for Moshi and Arusha markets is express-mailed to MDB Dar es Salaam by the Moshi RDD Office; it is filed there.

The monthly report for Dar es Salaam (only) is mounted with a small line map of Tanzania; a small table of current exchange rates of Tanzania Shilling against US Dollar, Zambian, Malawian, Mozambiquan, Ugandan and Kenyan currencies; a small rolling 12 month line graph of average price for all grades and sexes in Tanzanian Shillings; a colour photograph heading of the Dar es Salaam Pugu Market, and a colour representation of the 5 grades in the grading system used in Tanzania. This montage is colour photocopied about 20 times at a cost of US$ 2.40 per copy, and those 20 reports are airmailed to mainly Middle-Eastern dealers and Middle-Eastern Tanzanian High Commissions, with the intention of stimulating export sales of live animals by sea or air.

An Annual Report for Dar (only) gives a 12 month summary with numbers sold each month by grade and by sex (but NOT by grade-sex combination), with average weights by grade and by sex (but NOT by grade-sex combination), and with average price per liveweight kg (in current non-inflation-adjusted Tanzanian Shillings per kg) by grade and sex (but NOT by grade-sex combination).

There are Information Blackboards at each of the 3 major markets on which price information can be displayed, but none of these are used.