But when representatives from the co-operative societies went to the Liwale district on Tuesday to pay out the second and final instalment, the terms had changed.

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Thousands of small-scale cashew nut farmers in Tanzania - who usually begin to harvest in October - sell their crops to co-operative societies at an agreed price.

BBC: Tanzania riots over cashew nut payments

Mr Cliffe said that banks and building societies are being far from co-operative.

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That in turn means that the competitive playing field will be tilted even more to the disadvantage of the likes of the Co-Operative Bank and the Coventry, Skipton and Newcastle building societies than was already the case.

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But in the detailed Committee Stage consideration last week, Luciana Berger (a Co-operative MP and Labour frontbencher) put down a series of amendments designed to help cooperatives and mutual societies offering insulation and other improvements to become players in the market, including reduced registration fees for non-profit organisations.

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