SPOTLIGHT: Zimbabwe to combat plant pests with quarantine upgrades

Zimbabwe is upgrading its quarantine systems, constructing new border posts and inspection procedures, as new plant pests recently detected in Africa pose significant risks to the country’s agricultural sector.

In particular, the 2024 discovery of Goss’s Wilt in neighboring South Africa, has been cause for concern in Zimbabwe, which is now engaging with development partners and importers to help procure reagents for use in chemical analysis of import consignments of plant and plant products that require border inspection.

Goss’s Wilt – known by its scientific name as Clavibacter nebraskensis – is a plant pathogen which primarily affects maize and certain grasses, and leads to severe leaf blighting, systemic infection, and stunting, ultimately reducing crop yields. Previously only present in North America, the pest has been one of the most destructive maize diseases on that continent.

Zimbabwe outlined its quarantine upgrades at a recent meeting in Rome, where officials from 11 countries from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region shared details on how they will maintain international confidence in the safety of their plant and plant product exports.

The plans from respective countries were prepared after many months of work on phytosanitary capacity evaluations (PCEs) which were conducted to identify gaps in their biosecurity systems, with guidance from the Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

Zimbabwe’s plans were among the most advanced presented in Rome. As part of its quarantine border upgrades, Zimbabwe is planning to refurbish and construct post entry facilities, according to Louisa Makumbe, research development specialist with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

“One is being constructed at Beitbridge. It is a gateway for goods that come from South Africa,” Makumbe told a recent gathering on African harmonization plant health policy, held in Rome, where the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is located.

She said Zimbabwe also had concerns about other plant pests including maize chlorotic mottle virus and citrus black spot, and that renovations were planned for facilities on the border of Zambia and Botswana.

The southern African nation is also working with the FAO to improve its phytosanitary capacity by drafting and enacting new plant health legislation, which will include engagement with stakeholders and subsequent validation workshops.

At the same time, Zimbabwe’s plant protection authorities are training staff on surveillance, diagnostics, agency operations, as well as working with the Public Service Commission to create an additional 146 new staffing posts, responsible for the safe trade of plants and plant products.

Moreover, the country is planning to build awareness programs on phytosanitary risks; is developing a strategic plan on data management and documentation; will procure more vehicles including cars and motorcycles; and would like to strike agreements with neighbouring countries to access seaports, where joint inspections and surveillance could be carried out.

The PCEs conducted by the 11 COMESA countries were funded by the European Union, under a USD 7 million effort known as Strengthening Food Control and Phytosanitary Capacities and Governance, designed to assist countries identify gaps in their import and export systems, implement improvements, and ultimately promote safe international trade.

“Plant pests represent a major challenge to agricultural productivity, food security, environmental sustainability, and trade efficiency within the COMESA region,” said an IPPC secretariat assessment of the PCEs carried out in the 11 African countries.

“Tackling these risks is critical to ensuring economic stability, protecting livelihoods, and strengthening food security, particularly in the region’s most vulnerable nations.”

Supporting safe trade through capacity development

To help sustain efforts like Zimbabwe’s quarantine upgrades, the IPPC Secretariat has recently published a new IPPC e-learning course: Achieving Market Access for Plants and Plant Products. Available on the IPPC Plant Health Campus, developed with the FAO elearning Academy, the course outlines the process that countries can follow to gain access to new markets for exporting plants and plant products, while minimizing trade disruptions and preventing pest introductions.

To learn more about the IPPC Plant Health Campus and courses like this one, register here for the upcoming webinar on 11 June 2025.