Workshop on MLN Surveillance and Diagnostics using modern Tools; Feb 6, 2018; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.
Tanzania is an important country which also largely depends on Maize as staple food. MLN has had devastating effects on the production of this crop especially in the Lake region districts from the time it was first reported in this country in 2012. There are challenges in the management of MLN in this area due to the continuous growing patterns of maize (two seasons).
Since the inception of the MLN Diagnostics and Management Project in Oct 2015, Tanzania has not had a comprehensive MLN surveillance to determine the status of the disease. As such, the recent training of the MLN surveillance team is a mile stone towards efforts to fight this disease.
Tanzania plays a pivotal role in preventing the spread of MLN to the Southern Africa neighbors especially Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia. Due to the Geographical position, Tanzania acts as a bridge in the MLN spread to these important Maize growing countries. All efforts already in place in the project is promoting the use of developed MLN free seed production checklists. These are already popularized to all the stakeholders in the Maize seed industry in Tanzania.