cashew trees |
An impromptu visit
by TPRI officials at the Cashew nut Board of Tanzania (CBT) warehouses
in Mtwara on Thursday found a consignment of Sulfex Gold and
Devisulphur- 80WG substances with containers showing they were
manufactured in 2013 and expired in 2015.
The impromptu visit
came after Mtwara farmers complained to regional authorities that they
had been provided with Sulphur suspected to have expired causing panic
and fear among growers that their crops would be damaged instead
reaching the government's goal to increase yields in the 2017/18 season.
The police, the regional commissioner's office and the state attorney's
office were a part in the impromptu visit.
Mtwara regional
Police commander Neema Mwanga said they began investigation by
communicating with TPRI before storming CBT warehouses. "An
investigation team I dispatched at the warehouse discovered presence of
Sulfex Gold and Devisulphur- 80WG and most of it had solidified," she
said.
TPRI inspector
Michael Sanga advised police authorities in the region to apply
re-sampling of the substance in order to carry laboratory examinations
and establish if it was good for use.
Furthermore, TPRI
officials in Arusha told Mr Simbachawene yesterday that they were
dissatisfied with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries
interference that had led to suspension of TPRI three top officials
after refusing to approve supply of Sulphur claimed to have expired.
Mr Simbachawene who
was visiting Nanenane exhibitions was informed that TPRI executive
director Efania Kimaro, registrar of chemicals Elikana Lekei and chief
researcher Tano Haghai have been suspended by the Agriculture ministry.
"TPRI's great
challenge is interference from other institutions, especially in
certifying pesticides that need to be used by farmers in the country,"
said TPRI officer Jumanne Rajabu.
"It's this
interference that has seen our three top officials being suspended after
refusing to certify expired Sulphur from being distributed to farmers
in the country," he said.
Mr Simbachawene
wondered reasons for interference asking TPRI to continue cooperating
with the government in empowering farmers in the country.
"How comes you
allow interference? I won't go in detail, but I will follow up the issue
and ensure the government acts on this matter," he said.
In Dar es Salaam, a
CBT official who asked not o be named because he is not authorised to
speak said the board was in the process of destroying the said
consignment of Sulphur as inherited by the Cashew Industry Development
Trust Fund (CIDTF) that taking charges to supply farmers with
agricultural inputs.
"Nothing has been
distributed to farmers, the said pesticides do not appear in the CBT
list of imported agricultural inputs," he said.
Exclusively
speaking to The Citizen in Dar es Salaam, CBT's Planning and Processing
director Luseshelo Silomba said they didn't know the actual demand of
Sulphur in the country, saying they are planning to run census on cashew
nut farmers and trees available.
"We've invited
companies and consultant firms to submit letters expressing interest of
executing the job. After signing contract with the company or consultant
firm, the public will be communicated when the job will be completed."
No comments:
Post a Comment