The enclosed PHYTOSANITARY GUIDELINES (herein referred to as the PHYTOGUIDE) have been compiled under the auspices of the FAO/EEC Cooperative Programme's regional project; "Improving Phytosanitary Conditions for Eastern and Southern African Areas at Risk to the Larger Grain Borer" (project code: GCPP/RAF/278/EEC phase I and GCPP/RAF/300/EEC phase II).
The project is a collaborative effort of relevant National Plant Protection Services (NPPS) in participating countries of the region; BURUNDI, KENYA, MALAWI, MOZAMBIQUE, RWANDA, UGANDA, ZAIRE, ZAMBIA, ZIMBABWE, and host country TANZANIA.
The development of this PHYTOGUIDE compliments activities envisaged under the newly established SADC Plant Quarantine Network (SPQN) and the East African Plant Quarantine Network (EAPQN), inaugurated under the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) of FAO. Both PON's may in future, operate as Regional Plant Protection Commissions linked to the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council of the Organization for African Unity, (OAU/IAPSC). All countries in the eastern, central and southern african region who have yet to ratify the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), should do so immediately, as a basis for promoting regional cooperation and networking on issues related to plant protection and plant quarantine.
The PHYTOGUIDE was prepared under contractual agreement with the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) of the United Kingdom. It has been subsequently expanded, utilizing relevant NRI bulletins, and previous publications of FAO, ACIAR/CSIRO of Australia, other GASGA members (GTZ), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA), the centre for Technical Cooperation in Agriculture and Rural Development (CTA) and the World Food Programme (WFP). A list of selected references has been included in the PHYTOGUIDE. The editors are deeply indebted to all these organizations for allowing the use of extracted textual material, and figures, to be reprinted in this PHYTOGUIDE.
The principle objective of this PHYTOGUIDE is to assist member countries and sub-regional/regional organizations in endorsing, but perhaps more importantly, adopting minimum but practically implementable phytosanitary standards in the export, import and transshipment of agricultural commodities. The focus has been directed towards curtailing/retarding the further spread of the "Larger Grain Borer" Prostephanus truncatus (LGB) in maize consignments traded throughout eastern, central and southern Africa. However, the Phytosanitary Standards that have been compiled in the PHYTOGUIDE are adoptable to a range of cereal commodities traded or swapped in the region, and has therefore, much wider application. The widespread utilization of this PHYTOGUIDE will assist in preventing further accidental introductions of quarantinable insect pests, as well as providing the basis for general improvements in quality with regards to the more cosmopolitan (but not quarantinable) stored products pests often encountered in regional trade.
The technical specifications, and their managerial implications compiled into this First Edition of the PHYTOGUIDE, had in fact been put into physical operation in both Dar es Salaam port and its Northern Corridor transit links, and in the three ports of Mozambique (Nacala, Beira, Maputo), during the 1992/93 drought relief operations. In association with the technical assistance provided by FAO, ODA and USAID through NRI, and DANIDA, the existence of the PHYTOGUIDE significantly contributed towards ensuring minimum standards were met at ports of receival, as well as in-transit across (in many cases) several national borders to points of consignment.
However, the success of these phytosanitary operations could have easily been jeopardized by:
· inappropriate plant quarantine certification and pre-export fumigation schedules;· high percentage of vessels arriving at ports of destination infested with live insects, without ships certificate of cleanliness prior to loading, or certificate of origin of the entire consignment to which an appropriate Pest Risk Assessment could be made;
· physical condition and age of certain vessels that predicated them as unfumigable and;
· lack of suitable systems and procedures to fumigate on arrival, ships holds to both a quarantine and safety standard.
Specific examples can be given of certain shipments/vessels that did not comply to these minimum standards, and consequently created potential quarantine risks, unnecessary delays in repeated and unsuccessful fumigation, and added costs.
Whilst the minimum standards and special procedures described in this PHYTOGUIDE are specifically aimed at the organizations handling grain, grain buyers must also endorse them if they are to be effective. Food aid donors are among the biggest grain buyers in the region, and perhaps the most influential. Indeed, insistence by donors that the PHYTOGUIDE is applied for all purchases made on their behalf will do much to encourage widespread adoption of these minimum standards.
Each food donor agency has its own purchasing procedures, and in many cases (eg. USAID, EEC, WFP), these are conducted in the organization's international headquarters. Many, hut not all, contracts already specify that the maize should be free of live insects, but in practice, this clause is not always strictly enforced. Independent inspection agencies or cargo surveyors tend to concentrate on checking quantities delivered and sometimes ignore small infestations by live insects. Many donor organizations and NGO's, especially the smaller ones, are still insufficiently aware of the LGB problem, the importance member states place on preventing its further spread, or the potential of further introductions of quarantinable insect pests (and diseases), by non-adherence to plant quarantine regulations and standards. This situation has often been exacerbated by the present lack of appropriate plant quarantine legislation and related regulations in many individual member states, or regulations and attached schedules that are seriously dated. Many countries are in the process of redrafting/updating PQ regulations, which will hopefully facilitate trade whilst providing the necessary safeguards. The PHYTOGUIDE however, can be immediately utilized to support national Plant Quarantine, and to promote and harmonize standards regionally.
The PHYTOGUIDE has been designed as a dual guide and reference covering phytosanitary (plant quarantine) principles, legislation and regulations; compliance inspection; plant quarantine treatments; certification; pest detection methods; management and safety considerations; contractual specifications and grain quality considerations. Emphasis has been placed on fumigation with either phosphine or methyl bromide, and the ability of plant quarantine inspectors to be competent in certifying that fumigations performed by both public and private pest control operators, have been done to an achievable quarantine standard.
The main body of the PHYTOGUIDE describes how to implement minimum quarantine standards, whilst the supportive technical material can be found in the Technical Data Sheets (TDS) compiled in the second section of the Guide, cross referenced with the text for easy reference.
Although the PHYTOGUIDE has been designed as a stand-alone document by incorporating information available in a range of agency publications and scientific journals, it should be used in conjunction with other publications and audio-visual material, such as;
· Regional LGB awareness video (VHS-PAL format) "From Dust to Maize" prepared by NRI on behalf of the FAO/EEC regional project.· The NRI stored products poster on "Insect Pests of Tropical Stores".
· The GASGA/CTA Technical Leaflet #1 on the "Larger Grain Borer" (Second Edition, June, 1993).
These have been prepared in English, (French and Portuguese copies will be available in the future). The PHYTOGUIDE is also available in Portuguese and French versions. Copies of these, and any referred publications, can he obtained by direct request through the relevant agencies whose contact addresses are appended to the PHYTOGUIDE.
Any errors or omissions that may have inadvertently occurred in compiling this First Edition of the PHYTOGUIDE, remain the sole responsibility of the editor-in-chief. Those agencies or experts involved as contributing authors, and regional experts acting as technical referees, who are listed in this publication, are acknowledged for their valuable contributions in finalizing both the technical content, and the design/format of this PHYTOGUIDE.
R.L. Semple
Editor and Regional LGB Coordinator
Dar es Salaam
TANZANIA.
1st June, 1994
