Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) has expressed concern over the influx of non-trade weighing scales in the country saying they pose a threat to the promotion of fair trade.
MBS Public Relations Officer, Monica Khombe, told journalists in Lilongwe on Wednesday when the Bureau destroyed 339 non-trade scales which were confiscated from unscrupulous traders.
The Bureau conducts regular surveillance and verification of measuring instruments in order to root out illegal weighing instruments.
She expressed concern that not only are the confiscated scales non-trade but also some are adjusted hence not fit for trade posing a challenge to fair trade.
The Bureau also works hand in hand with Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) on imports monitoring for instruments entering the borders to check if they are fit for trade or not and the Ministry of Agriculture to verify if traders weighing instruments are certified by MBS.
Recently, the Bureau destroyed 357 non-trade weighing scales in Blantyre and 253 are expected to be destroyed in Mzuzu.
Meanwhile, consumers have called upon the Bureau to conduct sensitisation campaigns so that they (consumers) are made aware of the required trade weighting scales.
By Patricia Kapulula
