Isles government says ban on banana imports to stay

THE Zanzibar government will not reverse a decision to ban imports of fresh banana into the Isles, the Minister for Agriculture, Natural Resources, Irrigation and Livestock, Mr Shamata Shaame Khamis, has said.

He said the decision was made to prevent spread of banana wilt disease in the Isles.

“We are serious and committed to prevent bananas from outside including Tanzania Mainland to enter Zanzibar. We have imposed an indefinite ban to prevent the disease,” he said after a woman trader complained after her bunches of banana were seized at the Malindi seaport last month.

The women who identified herself as a widow and mother of three, complained through a church twitter account with support from a cleric that she was unjustifiably arrested with 30 large baskets of banana fruits and fined 50,000/-, but she was not allowed to take the bananas intended for sale in Zanzibar.

Mr Khamis and other executives from his Ministry dismissed the claims as false and that the woman was arrested with 15 baskets full of banana fruits only and was fined based on the current law-Plant Protection Act of 1997.

He said the quarantine imposed in 2018 remains valid and directed officials at all entry points to Zanzibar to remain vigilant to keep the fresh banana away.

“If the bananas are peeled, they can be imported. I also ask members of the public to report any suspicious entry of bananas.”

Ms Hawa Ahmada Iddi, head of the plant quarantine inspection unit at Malindi seaport said they were trying to prevent the bacterial wilt and fusarium wilt which has not penetrated in Zanzibar, but already we have black sigatoka, and Panama disease.”

She said that although they have been vigilant at the entry points, some businesses still use illegal entry points and other means to import bananas into Zanzibar, violating the law,

“This is a threat to our banana farms,” Ms Iddi said.