tawandamusarurwa
Online Reporter
KUTSAGA (formerly Tobacco Research Board) on Monday released the new full list of approved agro-chemicals for use in tobacco production in compliance with phytosanitary requirements under international trade.
In a statement, Kutsaga said: “No person shall treat any tobacco with a remedy which is not registered nor reap or offer for sale any tobacco treated with a non-registered remedy.
“Any tobacco so treated will be destroyed without compensation to the grower.
“Where there is infringement of this regulation, the legislation has been used to destroy tobacco in the field or offered for sale.”
The full list of approved agro-chemicals contains chemical and trade name of the product, company distributor, old and new certificate number, as well as the expiry date, with October 31, 2026 being the last expiry date for the sanctioned chemicals.
The agro-chemicals appearing on the list are fungicides, herbicides, suckericides, growth regulators and fertilisers, insecticides and nematicides.
“More than 90 percent of the Zimbabwean tobacco was exported and therefore the crop had to be produced under stringent international agro-chemical regulations for acceptance and maintenance of markets in an increasingly competitive global market,” added Kutsaga.
Bongani Ndlovu