REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS(RFP) CONDUCTING AN INTEGRATED CONTROL MEASURE FOR “Tuta absoluta” IN ZANZIBAR

RFP NO. [TAHA/CONS/002/2023]

ISSUE DATE: 25.05.2023

CLOSING DATE: 13.06.2023AT 05.00 P.M EAT

SECTION A: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

The “Make it Grow! Horticulture for Sustainable Economic Development In Zanzibar project” is a four-year project (2020-2024) being implemented in Zanzibar by a consortium of three organizations namely TRIAS Tanzania, Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) and Andreas Hermes Akademie (AHA) under financial support of the European Development Fund. The project aims to increase household income and improve food and nutritional security of smallholder farmers/producers through improvement of the horticultural value chains. The project focuses on optimizing productivity by training farmers in sustainable Good Agricultural Practices (including Integrated Pest Management), entrepreneurship skills, post-harvest handling and or optimizing market linkages to ensure that farmers produce what is demanded and less produce is lost after harvest.


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TAHA is an apex private sector member-based organization that advocates for the growth and competitiveness of the horticulture industry in Tanzania.

Tomato crop is a priority vegetable crop in Zanzibar, and it constitutes almost 73% of all harvest of horticulture crops in Zanzibar. The tomato leaf miner “Tuta absoluta” is a polyphagous insect pest which feeds on several solanaceous plant species mainly tomato, pepper and eggplant in al developmental stages and preferentially on tomato causing high losses in productivity especially on the South Regions where it is more productive. The main control of these pests is the chemical control method to eliminate them.

“Tuta absoluta” threat to Solanaceous crops originated from American before spreading to other parts of the world. The common name for “Tuta absoluta” is tomato leafminer, named so because of the pest preference for tomato. This dangerous pest’s favors tomato (Solunum lycopersicum and sometimes potato (S.tuberosum). Tomato leaf moth has a life cycle of 29 to 38 days depending on temperature. The pest prefers higher temperatures meaning the higher the temperature, the faster it will reproduce. Female leaf moths can lay up to 260 eggs for their entire lifetime. The most destructive stage is the larva/cataperpillar stage which lives as a minor in the leaf, fruit or stem. It burrows in and sucks sap from the leaf leaving behind unmistakable marks all over the plant.

Due to its rapid colonization and the high levels of damage it wreaks, intervening in the control of “Tuta absoluta” has become a key issue for tomato production, both in outdoor and greenhouse crops. Being a moth of the Gelechiidae family, “Tuta absoluta” is a leaf miner that attacks tomatc plants in all stages of development, damaging the stems, apices, flowers and fruits, in addition to mining the leaves. After egg hatching, the larvae penetrate tomato leaves and feed on the leaf parenchyma tissues forming irregular mines that get longer and wider in high densities as the larvae continue to feed which can affect plant photosynthetic capability causing high loss of productivity. “Tuta absoluta” is able to cause significant production losses in tomato crops.

The control of this pest requires expensive chemical treatments with translaminar active chemicals, or the repeated application of chemicals in order to affect larvae outside the galleries.

However, some investigators have proven the development of resistance to some insecticides in this moth 4-6 15 and the repeated use of the few authorized active ingredients could hasten the appearance of such resistance. It must be taken into account that, in many cases, these insecticides could also affect natural enemies, making the consolidation of biological contro systems impossible.

The” Make It Grow! (MIG)” project through its implementing partner TAHA is seeking for a consultant to implement a longitudinal study on “Tuta absoluta” infestation in the Zanzibar tomatoes value-chain as a continuation from the Arusha and Kilimanjaro “Tuta absoluta” reports so as to identify and communicate the best control methods of the pest to the relevant value-chain players in Zanzibar.

SECTION B: BIDDERS INSTRUCTIONS

Bidders wishing to submit proposals are encourage to confirm their intent to respond and request for a detailed Request for Proposal(RFP)”containing all necessary instruction”. Interested bidders can send an email to procurement@taha.or.tz not later than 13th June 2023 05: 00 P.M EAT. While sending your intent, identify the name of the company, phone number and email address of the person who will serve as the key contact for all correspondences.