By Valentine Oforo, Dodoma
Tanzania’s ministry of agriculture through financial and technical support from European Union (EU) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a strategic project for the improvement of plant health surveillance and phytosanitary certification, aimed at improving the country’s agricultural export capacity.
The €10.6 million worth project, christened ‘Strengthening Plant Health Services in Tanzania for Enhancing Food Security’, has been set for implementation country-wide within at least three consecutive years.
In funding the project, the EU has rolled out a total of €10 million, whereby FAO and the government of Tanzania have contributed to the tune of €350,000 and €250,000 respectively.
And as per the relevant schedule, FAO will be responsible for the professional monitoring and supervision of the project, whereby the Tanzania Health Plant and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) is a major implementer under a close eye from the parent ministry.
At an event to launch the vital project in Dodoma’s Capital City, Deputy Agriculture Minister, Anthony Mavunde, observed that implementation of the project was a meaningful stage to help Tanzania meet criteria needed in international agricultural produce markets.
He expressed, during 2017 the ministry of agriculture conducted special research which established poor awareness on health plants among local experts and farmers, as well as absence of laboratories for the plant health diagnosis and surveillance facilities, the challenge which used to place the country in an uncomfortable position to export agricultural produce to potential international markets.
“With this project, we’re expecting to stand a better side to start exporting crop produce to far international markets, and our prime focus is to increase our crop export value from currently USD 1.2billion annually to at least USD5 billion by 2030,” he unveiled, added that the determination was also to see the vegetable export value catapulting from USD 700million to USD 2billion.
Moreover, giving ‘the tip of the iceberg’, minister Mavunde said however, Tanzania had successfully started to enjoy exporting some crop produce to international markets after TPHPA to have been accredited by the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Services (SADCAS).
For his part, Cedric Merel, Head of Cooperation at EU Delegation in Tanzania expressed that through the project, Tanzania’s performance and efficiency of phytosanitary control at border posts will be enhanced and aligned to the exigent standards that EU requires.
“Fulfilling the required standards will allow access of Tanzania products to international markets, avoiding risks of interceptions and rejections by official competent authorities in the countries of destinations,” the EU official observed.
He stated that, between 2012 and 2017 more than 250 consignment of agriculture products destined to the EU market have been intercepted for administrative on-compliance and evidence of undesired contaminants. “This represents in some cases an important economic loss for the country and a risk for the consumers,” he added.
In further details, Merel said the project has come in perfect complementarity with EUR 100 million programme Agri-connect that support value chains and private sector development in the agricultural sector, the EUR 10 million programme on beekeeping that support value chains and their exports, and the regional programme, MarkUP agri-business development and the marketing and export of Tanzanian agricultural products.
“It is worth noting that all these EU programmes cover a wide array of regions in the country with activities taking place in Tabora, Kigoma, Katavi, Singida, Shinyanga, Arusha and Dodoma, but also, in the southern highland regions of Njombe, Iringa and Mbeya.
Briefing over some of the tangible and concrete achievements expected through implementation of the initiative, he informed, 19 border inspection posts in Tanzania will be equipped with diagnostic and surveillance equipment, 7 cars and 19 motorcycles for surveillance uses have been procured as well as 20 drones surveillance units.
On his part, the TPHPA’s Director General (DG), Dr. Ephraim Njau, said the project will expand capacity of the state-owned authority to train the country’s plant health inspectors at border posts, improve diagnostic and surveillance facilities at it labs, as well as enhancing field reporting and surveillance efficiency.
Together with that, he said the project will enable the authority to stand a possible chance to adopt modern and innovative data collection and management systems and enhance food safety for export and domestic trade.
“In order to ensure the project is fetching intended outcomes we’re expecting to form a special steering committee -for supervising implementation, and the technical committee for offering technical support, and there will be a special implementation unit, one to comprise experts from FAO and TPHPA,” he briefed.
Dr. Nyabenyi Tipo, FAO Representative in Tanzania said the project aimed at opening the new successful chapter for Tanzania to start exporting key economic cash crops to various destinations in EU countries, among others.
She said since 1979, FAO has been working closely in partnership with Tanzania to help improve performance of key areas in the country’s agriculture, chiefly for heightening food adequacy and nutrition.
“FAO is well committed to continue working with the government of Tanzania to improve performance of key sector in agriculture sector, as in this project we launch today, we will stand at forefront to accomplish all responsibilities that fall in our side so as to ensure the project attained the desired outcomes upon its completion, “she unveiled.
Dr. Christine Ishengoma, chairperson of the parliamentary agriculture and water committee hailed the international development partners, EU and FAO, for continued support towards Tanzania, urged the parent ministry and TPHPA to make sober use of the amount disbursed to assure the project reflects the value for money.
“If this project will be implemented accordingly and patriotically Tanzania will make a significant stride in improving the country’s food security, nutrition and export of agricultural produce to potential international markets,” she insisted.
