Forest Produce Traders Challenge Government Regulations in High Court
Dodoma. Forest produce traders have filed an application at the High Court’s main registry in Dodoma seeking permission to sue the government over regulations they claim are causing significant losses to their businesses.
Legal representation for the traders has requested the court to require the Attorney General and the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism to respond to the application, following the publication of disputed regulations in Government Notice No. 132.
The regulations, issued on February 22, 2025, amend Government Notice No. 153 of 2004 governing the harvesting of forest produce.
The application was scheduled for hearing yesterday before High Court Judge Imani Aboud, but the matter was adjourned to December 18, 2025, by the Deputy Registrar of the High Court, Main Registry, Ms Mwajabu Mvungi, after the judge was unavailable.
The applicants in the case are Kirungi Kingalu Company Limited, Micco Import and Export Company Limited, Salum Uliza (Sau General Investment), Ibrahim Komba (Shughawana General Traders), El-Fatel Enterprises Co. Limited and M&D Vision Company Limited.
TNC has learned that the traders are contesting the regulations on grounds that legally required procedures for amending the law were not followed, despite the applicants’ status as key stakeholders in the forestry sector, including traders, exporters and harvesters of forest produce.
The regulations have since been enforced by the Tanzania Forest Services (TFS) in a manner the traders consider unjust, particularly regarding royalties and the quantity of forest produce they are permitted to collect.
According to legal representatives, traders are required to pay royalties on what they are authorized to harvest, but the charges are high because they pay for an entire tree yet are only allowed to collect logs.
"They pay for the whole tree, but when it comes to harvesting they are told they cannot take the entire tree and must only collect the log," sources revealed.
Traders are not allowed to take branches and leaves for other uses, as TFS considers the remaining parts to be government property, despite the fact that traders have paid royalties for the entire tree, including roots, branches and leaves.
The applicants are asking the court to declare the regulations null and void on the basis that they contravene established law-making procedures. They are also seeking other reliefs outlined in their application to ensure that due process is followed and their rights are protected.
"The applicants pay large sums of money, but when they seek permits and attempt to collect what they have paid for, the procedures appear to change," legal sources confirmed.
