BUJUMBURA May 9th (ABP) – The Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock, Mr. Déo Guide Rurema, said on Tuesday during a press briefing that for some time, the opening of selling points for plant protection products and fruit and vegetable seeds and veterinary pharmacies were accused of irregularities.
Out of 343 veterinary pharmacies, only 66 are approved, i.e., 19.24%. Out of 114 selling points for phytosanitary products, only seven are approved, i.e., 6.1%.
In view of those results, the Minister notes that for the most part, the establishment of those phytosanitary products shops and veterinary pharmacies did not meet the conditions required by law in that area.
Moreover, in the phytosanitary field, almost all owners and/or sellers do not have a basic notion of pesticide management. In addition, the majority of pesticides sold are unregistered products or do not benefit from the provisional marketing authorization.
As for veterinary pharmacies in the countryside, the majority is in the form of cooperatives that do not comply with the regulations in force. Most contain both veterinary products and phytosanitary products, whereas those products should be separated and stored differently. Often, aligned staff do not have the required professional skills in that area.
Minister Rurema decided to temporarily suspend the opening of new selling points and veterinary pharmacies to bring order to this sector of marketing of veterinary and phytosanitary products. Promoters of selling points and pharmacies that are already functional are asked to comply with the standards and requirements in this area within a period not exceeding one month, from Tuesday May 7, 2019.
