A recent move by the European Union to lift a ban on bitter gourd fruit imports is giving new hope of increased incomes to Tanzanian growers. In November 2022, European Commission suspended exports of Tanzania’s bitter gourd fruit into EU market, citing detection of quarantine pest, demanding the country to present the pest surveillance report proving the absence of Thrips palmi Karny.
The Tanzania Horticulture Association (Taha), through the UNDP funded Horticulture Transformation for Inclusive Growth (HOTIGRO), had to intervene by working closely with Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) in conducting pest surveillance in all bitter gourd producing areas in Tanzania.
Now, laboratory tests have proved that Tanzania was free from Thrips palmi Karny, and that the bitter gourd were also produced in an area that was free from Spodoptera frugiperda. The scientific report was then presented to the EU for its consideration, which led to lifting of the ban on export of Tanzania’s grown bitter gourd fruit to its markets.
Source: thecitizen.co.tz