TANZANIA RESPONSIVE TO USDA/APHIS PROPOSAL

UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000993 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR ETRD USDA USTR TZ SUBJECT: TANZANIA RESPONSIVE TO USDA/APHIS PROPOSAL REF: STATE 95277 ¶1. Post delivered reftel on the USDA/APHIS proposal to streamline the process of establishing import requirements to the following Government of Tanzania officials on June 14: Grace Martin, Head of the America's desk at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Bede Lyimo, Assistant Director of Trade at the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Marketing; and Ms. Janet Simkanga, Senior Economist at the Ministry of Agriculture. All three GOT officials expressed optimism regarding the proposal's potential to speed up the approval process for export of certain fruits and vegetables. They also promised to provide comments as requested either through the Embassy or by ensuring a Tanzanian official from the Mission in Washington D.C. would attend the public meeting on June 20. ¶2. Within 48 hours of receiving information about the USDA/APHIS proposal, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Peniel Lyimo, responded via fax with the following six comments and questions on Quarantine 56: -- The Ministry of Agriculture is grateful for the reduction of time required to make a decision on import requirements from three years to 60 days for certain fruits and vegetables. -- Reference is made to ISPM No.2 (February 1996) by the International Plant Protection Convention on import regulations that pests risk analysis (PRA) should be conducted by the importing country, but for the United States it is the reverse. Why? -- Since PRA is conducted by the exporting country, what kind of information do you require? We do request for an outline that would enable the respective institution to conduct PRA so that adequate information can be provided without having to go back and forth. -- Point of entry inspection with respect to the U.S. is okay but what about point of exit from importing country, does it matter? -- Who makes a decision on products to be exported, the U.S. or the exporting country? -- Having done our PRAs appropriately, do we have to look for a company or supermarket in the U.S. that is willing to buy our products? How is the arrangement and organization done at the receiving end? RETZER