By Samwel Ndoni
MBEYA. The government has formed an operational force that will
do a ‘door to door’ inspection to arrest farmers who sell sub-standard pyrethrum
flowers, a move that would maintain the country's reputation in the global
market.
The special taskforce will be drawn from security agencies,
Ministry of Agriculture, Tanzania Pyrethrum Board and Mbeya City Council.
Tanzania is a second largest producer of pyrethrum flowers in the
world and first in Africa, but some unfaithful farmers have been damaging the
country’s image recently by exporting pyrethrum-flower which do not meet international
standards.
Speaking during a training session with market-agents of
pyrethrum produce organized by PCT, representative from Tanzania Pyrethrum
Board Mr. Edwin Margwe said the special operational force will inspect and evaluate
the quality of the pyrethrum-flowers from farmsteads to the agents’ centers.
The existing Pyrethrum Companies vowed in front of the Mbeya
District Commissioner to not buying substandard Pyrethrum flowers and legal
actions should be upon those who go against the agreement.
The PCT, according to him, incurred a loss of over Sh.1 billion
due to substandard pyrethrum-flowers which did not meet the standards required
for toxin production at the factory.
"Agents, make sure you buy quality
flowers as we have discussed. We are planning to offer a gift (commission) per each
kilogram of pyrethrum flower next season," he said.
Mussa Malubalo, an officer from PCT overseeing the Mbeya and
Songwe regions, said the goal of the training to agents is to equip them
sorting high quality pyrethrum flowers next season.
Trade agents say stiff competition among companies, greed
for money, and dishonesty are among the factors leading some famers and agents
to supply substandard flowers.
