Dodoma. Parliament has passed the Pyrethrum Industry Repeal Bill, 2026, dissolving the Tanzania Pyrethrum Board and transferring its regulatory and promotional functions to the Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority (COPRA).
The legislative decision marks a major restructuring of the agricultural sector, aimed at eliminating institutional inefficiencies arising from overlapping mandates.
Agriculture Minister Daniel Chongolo presented to Parliament the Bill repealing the Pyrethrum Industry Act of 1997.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr Chongolo said streamlining regulatory bodies was crucial to improving the country’s economic efficiency.
He said the move was intended to reduce government operating costs by merging institutions with overlapping responsibilities.
“Abolishing the Pyrethrum Board would reduce the number of regulatory bodies and improve operational efficiency in managing the high-value commercial crops,” he said.
The consolidation also follows the passage of the Agricultural Laws (Amendments) Act, 2026, which empowers COPRA to take over the functions of the defunct Pyrethrum Board.
Mr Chongolo said the amendments would enable COPRA to perform functions previously carried out by the Tanzania Pyrethrum Board.
“This gives the authority a legal mandate to regulate the entry into and exit from the country of products derived from cereals and other produce without affecting laws governing product quality and standards, thereby improving efficiency in regulating the pyrethrum industry,” he said.
As a semi-autonomous government body, COPRA regulates the production, processing and marketing of cereals, other produce and now pyrethrum.
The authority is responsible for ensuring quality standards, market efficiency and fair trade across the agricultural value chain.
Its mandates include registering farmers, dealers and processing facilities, monitoring national crop stocks, establishing standards for good agricultural practices, and issuing import and export permits.
To modernise agricultural regulation and improve crop traceability, COPRA has implemented the COPRA MIS mobile digital platform, which connects farmers, cooperatives and licensed traders to streamline licensing and support compliance from farm to market.
Under Director-General Ms Irene Madeje Mlola, COPRA has already introduced interventions to support pyrethrum farmers.
The authority is distributing 7.5 tonnes of pyrethrum seeds this season, with 5.5 tonnes sourced from agricultural stakeholders and two tonnes from the government, while strengthening contract farming supervision.
Ms Mlola also announced that the pyrethrum price had increased by 8.1 percent, from Sh3,700 to Sh4,000 per kilogramme.
The increase is projected to boost farmers’ earnings by 17.6 percent, from an average of Sh1,700 per kilogramme to Sh2,000, translating to Sh1.56 million per acre based on average yields.
Highlighting the crop’s economic potential, Deputy Agriculture Minister David Silinde recently unveiled a five-year pyrethrum strategy covering 2026 to 2031.
The strategy aims to expand cultivation from 4,232 to 11,696 hectares and increase annual pyrethrum flower production from 3,800 to 9,000 tonnes.
Mr Silinde said the government was committed to restoring pyrethrum to its former glory, which was why the crop had been returned to the list of crops regulated by COPRA.
