MINISTER for Industry and Trade, Dr Selemani Jafo, has asked local government authorities (LGAs) to buy biopesticides that kill mosquito larvae as part of efforts to control the spread of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases.

He said by doing so they would be supporting government efforts towards eradication of the diseases.

Jafo gave the remarks yesterday during his visit to the Tanzania Biotech Products Limited (TBPL) which is owned by the National Development Corporation (NDC) in Kibaha District, Coast Region.

“Every district council has a health budget, I am directing all the 184 councils to procure the biopesticides to kill mosquito breeding grounds as the disease is still a challenge and kills several people.

The Minister instructed the NDC to increase the scope of public education, especially in large meetings that include many council leaders, and invited them to visit the factory to learn and be motivated to buy.

He said the drugs are important in eradicating mosquito breeding grounds and reducing the deaths of pregnant women and children caused by Malaria.

"What is surprising is to see that the use of these drugs in our country is small compared to neighboring countries that come to buy those drugs here and Zanzibar has succeeded in eradicating malaria because they buy huge assignment of those drugs and many African countries are coming to buy these Biopesticides," he said.

He mentioned some of the countries that have been buying the drugs as Kenya, Angola, Niger, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland and Mozambique.

Minister Jafo directed the NDC to develop alternative marketing methods for the sale of these drugs, including a special campaign that will increase education and motivation of citizens to buy and use these important drugs that do not have any health and environmental effects.

The Managing Director (NDC), Dr Nicholaus Shombe, said that the unique factory in Africa can produce 6 million liters of chemical-free biological products per year, including insecticides to kill mosquito larvae that spread malaria.

He said apart from malaria, the drugs help to reduce other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes and live pesticides to kill pests on crops, live fertilizers, and animal vaccines.

He said that in 2009, the fourth term President Jakaya Kikwete, who was the chairman of the ALMA anti-malaria leaders, visited Cuba and persuaded them to agree to the industry to be built in Tanzania.

He said the factory was built from 2010 to 2017 by the government for $22.3 million and that Cuban experts are working in the industry to give their Tanzanian colleagues expertise on how to produce the drugs.

He said the goal of the construction of the Tanzania Biotech Products Limited was to fight malaria to ensure that by 2030 there would be no malaria patients.

TBPL is a Public Company and one of the leading bio-manufacturing companies in East, Southern, and Central Africa.

The Company has been manufacturing Biopesticides to control Malaria vectors and vectors of other Mosquito-borne diseases. TBPL has been in the biotechnology industry for more than 9 years and has contributed to reducing Malaria cases to 7 percent in Tanzania and has contributed to the control in other countries like Angola, Niger, Kenya, Eswatini and Mozambique.