Tanzania
Tanzania bans Kenyan firm for buying unripe avocados
Wednesday January 18 2023
Avocado farm. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Tanzania has banned a Kenyan firm from purchasing avocados after the Ministry of Agriculture said it was engaging in illegal practices.
Kandia Fresh Company was barred from operating in Njombe, south-eastern Tanzania, after the firm was accused of purchasing premature fruits.
Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe said the company allegedly bought unripe avocados and dumped them at the Njombe Town Council dumpsite.
“If that company exists in the country, blacklist it immediately, cancel their permit,” said Mr Bashe.
He later ordered the arrest of the company’s employee, David Sifuna Barasa, who is said to have bought the avocados from middlemen without a permit.
Mr Barasa said the fruits had been harvested in good condition but poorly handled when questioned on why he bought unripe avocados.
Also read: Avocado exports to China earn Kenya Sh7bn in three months
The minister directed agricultural extension officers and other government officials to visit farms and stop the harvesting of unripe avocados.
Njombe District Commissioner Kissa Kasongwa said that two middlemen have also been arrested for crop cess evasion and purchase of produce without a government permit.
They were also fined Tsh300,000 ($12.82).
Avocado is quickly becoming Tanzania’s new green gold. According to the Tanzania Horticultural Association, the country exported over 11,237 tonnes of avocados worth $33 million in 2021.
It is expected to export 15,000 tonnes this year, thus generating $45 million in foreign currency. Figures show Europe imports 85 percent of Tanzanian avocado shipments. France imported the most, followed by the Netherlands and the UK.
This story was first published in The EastAfrican
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Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.
The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.
In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.
Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.
“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”
Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Source: allafrica.com
