Tanzania
Bureau of Standards (TBS) has two technical standards specifications
for stakeholders engaged in the production of legumes, but they are
still a mystery to local producers and traders in legumes value chain.
A report from Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) made available to The Guardian on Sunday this week revealed that the unknown standards included those of peas and beans with specification TZS 1084:2009(E) and TZS 875:2006(E) respectively.
The report said TBS has a role to play in raising awareness of the standards and in enforcing traders and as well as farmers to understand and use it to offer products of better quality and higher competitive edge at both the local and regional market levels.
Issued by the EAGC Country Programme Manager, Ikunda Terry the report suggests for the improvement of legumes to enable farmers as well as traders raise their incomes.
“To ensure improvement in the quality of pulses from Tanzania, the roadmap that has been developed proposes to increase public and private dialogue with the TBS to agree on a model to ensure compliance with international standards, provide targeted trainings on Gap Good Agricultural practices.
Others includes establishment of a price differentiation mechanism based on grades and develop a pulse specific pest management plan.
It indicates that there is need for TBS to create awareness because currently Indian buyers were looking for pulses from Africa owing to the product’s quality and logistical convenience.
Currently pigeon peas, chickpeas and dry peas are some of the pulses grown in Tanzania and that the established pulses trade that Tanzania has enjoyed with India can be extended further in the context of branding, says the report.
Highlighting on low levels of quality assurance and disease control in the production of pulses, the report indicates that quality issues need to be addressed along the entire pulses value chain from production, processing to exporting.
The production of pulses can be spoiled by crop diseases and pests while the promotion of good agricultural practices (GAP) through public and private extension services is critical to reducing incidents of contamination.
For certain pulses such as pigeon peas, there is a need to manage percentage of humidity in the drying process to ensure maximum value, suggests the report.
Since this mechanism of quality certification and standardization is not very common in Tanzania it makes the buyer apprehensive about the quality delivered that frequently leads to disputes.
A report from Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) made available to The Guardian on Sunday this week revealed that the unknown standards included those of peas and beans with specification TZS 1084:2009(E) and TZS 875:2006(E) respectively.
The report said TBS has a role to play in raising awareness of the standards and in enforcing traders and as well as farmers to understand and use it to offer products of better quality and higher competitive edge at both the local and regional market levels.
Issued by the EAGC Country Programme Manager, Ikunda Terry the report suggests for the improvement of legumes to enable farmers as well as traders raise their incomes.
“To ensure improvement in the quality of pulses from Tanzania, the roadmap that has been developed proposes to increase public and private dialogue with the TBS to agree on a model to ensure compliance with international standards, provide targeted trainings on Gap Good Agricultural practices.
Others includes establishment of a price differentiation mechanism based on grades and develop a pulse specific pest management plan.
It indicates that there is need for TBS to create awareness because currently Indian buyers were looking for pulses from Africa owing to the product’s quality and logistical convenience.
Currently pigeon peas, chickpeas and dry peas are some of the pulses grown in Tanzania and that the established pulses trade that Tanzania has enjoyed with India can be extended further in the context of branding, says the report.
Highlighting on low levels of quality assurance and disease control in the production of pulses, the report indicates that quality issues need to be addressed along the entire pulses value chain from production, processing to exporting.
The production of pulses can be spoiled by crop diseases and pests while the promotion of good agricultural practices (GAP) through public and private extension services is critical to reducing incidents of contamination.
For certain pulses such as pigeon peas, there is a need to manage percentage of humidity in the drying process to ensure maximum value, suggests the report.
Since this mechanism of quality certification and standardization is not very common in Tanzania it makes the buyer apprehensive about the quality delivered that frequently leads to disputes.
0 comments:
POST A COMMENT