A gleam of hope seems to have finally dawned on the horticulture industry, as a Tanzania’s company has pioneered production and export of biological control agents, thus offering a ray of hope to growers and consumers.
Tanzania’s horticulture industry champion, TAHA Group CEO, Dr Jacqueline Mkindi was overwhelmed with a joy, saying their painstaking efforts to see Tanzania produce and take a share in the global organic food value chain worth369 billion US dollars annually, have paid off.
“We are very proud of our member, the multi-flower Ltd for being a leading company to manufacture the biocontrol agents for local consumption and exports market.
This will enable Tanzania to get a slice in the global organic food market value of 369 billion US dollars” Dr Mkindi explained.
The company behind the breakthrough is none other than the Multiflower Limited based in Arusha, with a capacity of producing 1200 liters of biocontrol agents per day or 6000 liters per week.
The Managing Director of Multiflower Ltd, Mr Tjerk Scheltema said the biocontrol agents are only supplied to local flower farms and the surplus was exported to Holland, flying the Tanzania’s profile high in terms of innovation.
The biological control agents include Predator mites such as, Phytoseiulus persimillis, Amblyseius swirkii, Amblyseius montdorensis, Neoseilus californicus and Stratiolaelaps scimitus.
The biological control application in Agriculture proves to be beneficial to the environment and human health as it does not cause toxicity to the plants, soil and water, multiply easily in the soil and leave no residual problem.
The biocontrol agents not only control the disease, but also enhance the root and plant growth by way of encouraging the beneficial soil microflora and increasing the crop yield.
“I’m very greatiful to enable Tanzania for the first time to export biological control agents to international markets” Mr Scheltema explained.
He, however, said that the success story wouldn’t be possible without the painstaking efforts by TAHA and the Ministry of Agriculture to streamline the policies, regulations and procedures to facilitate the production, registration and export of these natural enemies of pests that cause economic losses in horticulture industry.
Through the Technical Expertise from the Biological Control Agents Sub-committee (BCAS), Plant Health Services and Parliamentary Committee Members in charge of Agriculture, Livestock and Water pushed for a need to revise the Plant Health Regulation, 1998 and come up with an up-to-date regulation that incorporates modern technologies.
These engagements facilitated the establishment of the system that would enhance ease production, registration and exportation of biological control agents under the Plant Protection Act, 2020 and Guidelines for the export, shipment, import and release of biological control agents and other beneficial organisms – IPPC