DAR ES SALAAM, June 16 -- TANZANIA will stop depending on overseas labs for pesticide testing, thanks to five new machines worth 2.8bn/- acquired by the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA).

The machines will test pesticide residues in crops and soil and check the quality of pesticides before they reach farmers.

“These machines are critical in helping our farmers and exporters meet the increasingly strict international standards,” said TPHPA Director General Prof Joseph Ndunguru.

He said over the weekend the technology will support a national strategy to monitor pesticide residues in locally sold products and improve compliance with export market requirements.

The new equipment includes two Gas Chromatogr...