Farmers in Seychelles want tomato ban lifted, as government analyses next step

Farmers on the Seychelles' three main islands are asking the National Biosecurity Agency to lift a ban imposed on the movement of tomatoes between Mahe, Praslin and La Digue as sales are being severely affected. The ban was imposed late last month to curb the spread of the tomato leaf miner (Tuta Absoluta) which was found on all three main islands of the archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. The Seychelles National Biosecurity Agency told SNA on Thursday that discussions are being held on the next step. Randy Stravens, the principal bio-security officer, said that the decision was taken in order to allow the Agency to carry out the eradication plan in a controlled manner and to reduce the spread of the pest. "We understand that any measures in place will not satisfy everyone, but it had to be done. We have had farmers that have proposed even more drastic measures, but we understand the livelihoods depend on the production of tomatoes and so we had to take a sensible decision, ...