Tomato embargo hits farmers hard

Local tomato producers have begun to bear the brunt of the recent restrictions imposed on tomatoes by the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, the Botswana Horticulture Council has revealed.

The restrictions came following the detection of tomato leaf miner or Tuta absoluta, which is described as a highly destructive insect pest to tomato plants and fruit and is also reported to infest other plants in the Solanacaeae family such as potato, pepper and eggplant.

As a result of the ban, traders are not allowed to move solanaceous crops from the tomato leaf miner infested areas, which are Bobirwa, Boteti, Chobe, North East, and North West.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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