Agro-players laud ban on foreign seed imports

29Dec 2023
Carlos Banda
DAR ES SALAAM
News
The Guardian
Agro-players laud ban on foreign seed imports

A NETWORK of civil society organizations and farmers groups have lauded the Tanzania Plant Health Pesticide Authority (TPHPA) for banning the importation of maize and soya bean seeds from Malawi, a move which will protect local seed farmers and the country’s agriculture system from potential risks.

Chairperson of a network of civil society organisations and farmers groups that form the Tanzania Seed Task Force, Abdallah Mkindi said in a recent statement that the key objective is to protect the welfare and rights of small-scale farmers in the country’s seed sector.

 

He said the taskforce focuses on supporting seed systems handled by farmers that adhere to the principles of ecology, biodiversity and food freedom.

 

“As members of the Tanzania Seed Taskforce, we highly commend the efforts taken by the Ministry of Agriculture and TPHPA to ensure the welfare of Tanzanian farmers is secured and integrity of our seed and farm systems are protected,” he said.

He said they support the courageous move taken to ban the importation of maize seeds from Malawi as the decision is crucial in protecting farmers and users from the potential dangers associated with the seeds whose genes have been altered via Genetically Modification Organisms (GMOs)

 

“The decision to take swift measures follows a report on the possibility of the availability of GMO seeds. The ban is meant to ensure the safety of our national seed system,” he added.

 

He also said that they recognise the import ban on soya and its products from Malawi and that the ban observed an assessment on dangerous pests which proved that imports were contrary to the objectives of TPHPA on agro biodiversity and protect Tanzanian farmers on the potential risks posed by the effects brought about by the Tobacco ring spot virus (TRSV)

 

Mkindi requested the Ministry of Agriculture to facilitate review of the 2003 Seed Policy to identify and preserve seeds owned by farmers.

 

He added: “We implore the government to improve the safety principles by sustaining the completion of the Biotechnology laws. In-depth supervision is vital in stopping the importation of unqualified seeds that can compromise our agricultural system.”

 

Institutions that forms the task force include the Tanzania Alliance for Biodiversity (TABIO), Iles de Paid (IDP), PELUM Tanzania, Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM), Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania (SAT), ECHO EA, ESAFF, Affronted, ENVIROCARE and MVIWAARUSHA, others include MVIWAKI, MVIWAMA, TUSHIRIKI, ACTIONAID Tanzania, SWISSAID Tanzania, HACHAWOTA, SHIWAKUTA and COWEA.

 

 

Top Stories