dyton mupawaenda
Edgar Vhera–Agriculture Specialist Writer
STAKEHOLDERS in the horticulture industry have voiced their concerns over the country’s lack of global good agricultural practices (GAP) certification bodies to allow farmers to export or trade locally in food products that would have been confirmed safe for human consumption and duly produced using sustainable methods.
Attendees at a recent Agri-Business Forum hosted by Zimpapers in Harare were left disappointed after some presentations indicated that there were no accredited global GAP certifying bodies in the country, which left consumers faced with high chances of eating food that could have a negative impact on their health in the long-term.
Although there are independent consultants that offer the services, there are no accredited certification bodies within the country, which has resulted in auditors from offices in Kenya and South Africa being flown in to do the auditing and certification. This in combination with the small size of the sector results in relatively high prices for certification services.
Agriculture expert and Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA) board chairperson, Mr Ivan Craig said the issue of food safety and loss was of great concern to consumers and farmers alike.
“Food safety is the first issue of concern to consumers as timing and use of approved pesticides and chemicals impact on the health bill of the populace. Currently farmers bring to the market what they have regardless of the how they would have produced it. There is no control over the residual toxicity of chemicals/pesticides used during production,” Mr Craig said.
He said a vegetable crop like tomato might appear attractive both on the outside and inside when it’s sliced open but what matters are the chemicals/pesticides used to control tuta absoluta and other pests and diseases.
“We need safety control mechanisms for the protection of consumers and the product itself, for example, if one wants to export a vegetable product outside the country, it should be tested for residual chemicals. If they find traces of anything that commodity must be condemned and destroyed,” Mr Craig continued.
Current observations point to direct marketing from farmer to supermarket without testing of products for chemicals/pesticides used during production as well as the maximum residue level (MRL).
The substances pesticides leave in treated products are called residues. A MRL is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed when pesticides are applied correctly in accordance with good agricultural practice (GAP).
Mr Craig said though horticultural production was successful in Zimbabwe with farmers in areas such as Murehwa, Domboshava, Mahusekwa, Seke among others, bringing their products to the market, monitoring of the chemicals used in production was not being conducted.
“Farmers are producing vegetables yet there is no one on the ground controlling and monitoring the chemicals or pesticides, which are being used to control pests and diseases. And there is nothing, which can stop a farmer using some purple labelled chemicals/pesticides that might be harmful to people. That’s why we are battling with numerous cancer cases and to make it worse, we have no control over what is being delivered to the market,” Mr Craig added.
Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) acting director general Mr Cosmas Mukoyi said his association had the capacity to train farmers and institutions on the good agricultural practices guideline principles and the various supporting standards.
“We do tests for maximum residue limits for clients but we would want citizens or organisations that are referred to in the article to engage us urgently so that we protect consumers through provision of quality and safe products that save lives,” he said.
Horticultural exports require strict observance of food safety and quality standards, like global GAP certificates while the processing industry requires the Food Technical Standard and Protocol for food suppliers, International Food Standard (IFS) and Food Safety management, (ISO 22000).
Local private laboratories that claim to be certified are either not known by many stakeholders or not trusted for their accuracy. As a result, producers, importers and exporters prefer to do their laboratory tests abroad, usually in South Africa or Europe at a cost.
Certification bodies for various certification schemes (GAP, FSSC, BRC and so on) are not present in Zimbabwe. SAZ provides certification services but does not offer global GAP certification that is required for the horticulture sector. SAZ operates as an association and does not have a mandate to develop or enforce legislation, it solely facilitates the development and use of standards that can be used voluntarily. The status of SAZ standards is that they are voluntary upon publication, but mandatory when referenced in legislation.
Online Reporter