TANZANIA COUNTRY REPORT

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TANZANIA COUNTRY REPORT

• Mgenzi S.R. Byabachwezi
• Shaban I. Mkulila
• Sayi Bulili
• Martin Katua
• Dionysius R.R. Mabugo

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IMPORTANCE OF BANANAS IN TANZANIA

• In Tanzania, bananas are grown all-over the
  country.
• Big growers are in the highlands of Kagera,
  Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Arusha, and Tanga regions
  but also there are bananas in Kigoma and Tarime
  District of Mara region.
• Total area under bananas in Tanzania is about
  452,000 hectares.

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Importance of Bananas in Tanzania cont.

• 85 of total banana acreage is planted with
  cooking types, 5 with brewing, 5 with roasting
  and 5 with dessert.
• In banana growing areas, bananas have great
  cultural values, leave alone their importance as
  food and source of income to farmers.
• Almost every part of the plant is utilized for
  one domestic purpose or another.
• Above all the crop remains the basis of food
  security in the country and it is for this reason
  the famine in banana-based cropping systems is
  not common.

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Importance of bananas in Tanzania cont.

• In the past, banana stands were said to remain in
  optimum production for over 100 or more years and
  indeed cultivars as old as 100 years still exist
  in many parts.
• Banana is the only fruit available throughout the
  year.
• 20 - 30 of TZ population depend on bananas as a
  principle source of carbohydrate.
• In banana growing areas average banana field
  size ranges from 0.5 to 1.7 ha per household.

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Importance of bananas in Tanzania cont.

• Importance of banana as a cash crop has gained
  importance in recent years.
• Sustainable contribution to household food and
  income security.
• With the availability of better processing
  methods for new products, banana has the
  potential of being a highly marketable crop.

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EXTENSION SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY, ITS PRESENT
STATUS AND EFFECTIVENESS IN TERMS OF HUMAN AND
FINANCIAL CAPACITY

• Agricultural extension services in Tanzania is
  mainly the role of the Government (Local
  Government Authorities LGAs)
• Private sector also provide extension services in
  specialized fields.
• Central government role is to regulate and
  providing technical support.
• At District level there are subject matter
  specialists.

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Extension services cont.

• Government policy is to have one agriculture
  extension staff at village level.
• Currently Agric. Extension staff are stationed at
  Ward level but also in few villages
• Plans are to train more extension staff and
  employ total 15,000 (2,500 staff every year)..
• No specialization at Ward and Village level.
• There are extension officers for agriculture and
  livestock though some of them have been retrained
  to cater for both.

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AGRIC. EXTENSION SERVICES FINANCING IN TANZANIA

• Agriculture extension staff are employees of
  Local Government Authorities (LGAs), except for
  those under private sector.
• In most of community based agric. projects there
  are cost sharing arrangements btwn the Central
  Govt., LGAs and the beneficiaries.
• Beneficiaries contribution to community based
  agric. projects is btwn 15-20.

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Agric. Extension Services Financing in Tanzania
cont.

• LGAs provide limited working gear and limited
  transport facilities to its extension staff.
• Special Agric. Programs Projects also provide
  some extension staff with working gear
  transport facilities e.g. Agricultural Sector
  Development Programme (ASDP) through
• District Agric. Dev. Programmes (DADPs).
• District Agric. Sector Investment Programme
  (DASIP).

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Challenges to Agric. Extension Delivery in
Tanzania

• Extension staff not enough to cover eligible
  villages.
• Recurrent budget for supervision and monitoring
  of agric. activities not enough.
• Farmers resistance to change mindset especially
  for new technologies.

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POLICY FRAMEWORK AND REGULATIONS WITHIN TANZANIA

• The Plant Protection Act, 1997
• The Act is gazetted in The Government Gazette of
  the United Republic of Tanzania No. 27 Vol. 78,
  dated 4th July, 1997.
• The Plant Protection Act, 1997 became operational
  in July, 2001
• The Act makes provision for the following
• To prevent the introduction and spread of harmful
  organisims,

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Policy Framework and Regulations Within Tanzania
cont.

• To ensure sustainable plant and environmental
  protection,
• To control the importation and use of plant
  protection substances,
• To regulate exports of plant and plant products
  and ensure the fulfillment of international
  commitments,
• To entrust all plant protection regulatory
  functions to the Government, and for materials
  incidental thereto or connected therewith.

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Policy Framework and Regulations Within Tanzania
cont.

• Plant Import and Phytosanitary Services
• In efforts to protect the country from
  introduction of exotic plant pests cum diseases,
  the Government maintains the regulatory control
  of imported plants and plant materials through
  crop inspection at all points of entry such as
  sea ports, border outstations and airports.
• All plant and plant products imported and
  exported from Tanzania are subject to inspection
  for pests and diseases at all border points in
  and around the country.

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Policy Framework and Regulations Within Tanzania
cont.

• Section 9 Importation for Research Purposes
  Subsections 9(1) and 9(2) of this section
  provides for importation of plant materials for
  research purposes and clearly stipulates-
• 9.-(1) Notwithstanding any provision in this Act,
  but subject to subsections (2) and (3) of this
  section, the Minister may, for the purpose of
  essential scientific research or experiment,
  permit the importation into Tanzania, of anything
  not otherwise eligible for importation under this
  Act.
• (2) The Minister shall not permit anything to be
  imported under subsection (1) above unless he is
  satisfied that its importation will not present
  significant threat to the agriculture or natural
  environment of Tanzania.

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ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN FOR BXW IN TANZANIA

• Nationally Surveillance actions including
• Training of extension staff and farmers on BXW
  symptoms, means of spreading and control
• Quarantine restricting movement of bananas and
  banana parts
• Exhibitions and campaigns
• Close follow-up for verification and advise
  whenever BXW was suspected present

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Actions Undertaken for BXW in Tanzania cont.

• Production and distribution of extension
  materials (leaflets, posters, brochures etc)
• Surveys and mapping of BXW
• Use of mobile phones SMS to report outbreak of
  BXW

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Challenges to actions

• BXW control projects were of short terms (longest
  was C3P for 18 months)
• Some farmers expected BXW be eradicated in very
  short period of time
• Because of intermittent BXW outbreak in some
  areas, the problem was taken as temporal

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Current BXW distribution

• BXW is currently in 6 Districts of Kagera region
  (exception is Chato District)
• It was reported in Ngara on 4th July 2008 by
  extension staff through phone
• Though not verified suspected to be present in
  Ukerewe Islands
• There are still new outbreaks in some villages of
  previously affected District
• Therefore BXW is present in three regions of
  the Lake zone (Kagera, Mara and Mwanza)

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BXW distribution in Tanzania
!
!
- confirmed
!
- Not confirmed
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Management Strategies

• Village task forces are used to strengthen
  uprooting campaigns
• Community involvement
• Farmers are continuing to uproot infected plants
  some are burning and burying them
• Early removal of male bud still needs to be
  emphasized (not well done)

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Challenges and Lessons Learnt

• The disease is easy to control if managed
  properly
• Local leaders can help in the campaigns against
  BXW but need to be regularly contacted/updated
• Some farmers whose plots are not infected can not
  predict the danger of BXW (are not seriously
  responding to recommendations)
• Removal of male buds is considered/associated
  with importance of banana cultivar/variety
• Farm tools are still major source of BXW
  transmission to highland bananas

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Way forward

• There is a need to introduce faster means of
  destroying infected plants
• Cleaning of farm tools is a challenge needs
  some user friendly and more practical methods to
  disinfect tools

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Future Plans

• To introduce/train researchers/district
  agriculture staffs from other banana growing
  areas of Tanzania about BXW (Northern zone,
  Southern highlands, Central zone and Zanzibar)
• More BXW eradication campaigns needed.
• Regular visiting and updating local leaders about
  new outbreaks and success stories.
• Advise policy makers on the importance of
  regulatory control of BXW.

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Future Plans cont.

• Mapping of BXW (showing places where controlled,
  still persistent and new outbreak) giving
  recommendations specific to situations
• Develop strategies for informing farmers on the
  possibilities of disease outbreak in clean areas
• Popularization of the use of clean planting
  material

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New

• Swahili name for BXW
• Unyanjano wa migomba (by Baraza la Kiswahili
  Tanzania - BAKITA)
• Unya Unyauko (wilt)
• Njano yellow colour from the symptoms (leaves
  and pus-like ooze)