Tanzanian growers hopeful now that the EU lifts the ban on bitter gourd

The recent decision by the European Union to lift the ban on the import of sopropo has given Tanzanian growers new hope for a higher income. In November 2022, the European Commission suspended exports of sopropo from Tanzania to the EU market because a quarantine disease was allegedly detected. She demanded that the country provide the disease surveillance report showing that Thrips palmi is not present. The Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), through the UNDP-funded Horticulture Transformation for Inclusive Growth (HOTIGRO), had to intervene by working closely with the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) in conducting pest control in all sopropo growing areas in Tanzania. Now lab tests have shown that Tanzania was free of Thrips palmi, and that ...