The Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) this week busted a rice fraud ring reaping off consumers.

The standards body discovered that traders importing rice from Tanzania into the country deliberately labelled the sacks of rice, Grade One yet they contained Grade two rice which is of lower quality.

According to RBS, the two grades differ in price and thereforemembers of the public were being defrauded.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, the Deputy Director of RBS, Patrice Ntiyamira, said that as an institution charged with enforcing standards, RBS had to stop the act and order the traders to repackage the rice appropriately

"As usual, we took the samples of the rice packed in seven trucks. We found that it was grade two instead of grade one, as labelled,” said Ntiyamira, adding that RBS’s aim is to ensure that citizens are not cheated.

A trader at Kimironko market disclosed that a kilogram of Grade One rice costs Rwf 750 while grade two sells at Rwf 660.

Ntiyamira said that the traders were currently re-labelling their merchandise according to the quality. He, however, warned them against the practice which is against the law.

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