Six million Kenyans may lose jobs if EU bans fresh produce

Organic vegetables on a stand at a farmers' market

NAIROBI, KENYA: Local horticulture farmers risk losing access to the lucrative European Union (EU) market.

This comes after threats from the EU that it would lock out Kenyan horticulture produce that has pesticide residues beyond recommended levels.

Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei last week said an increasing amount of fresh produce being shipped to the EU market has exceeded maximum residual levels (MRLs) allowed for chemicals.

“We have been given a deadline of September 30 this year to fully comply with the MRL rules, otherwise we will be locked out of the market, which would be a huge loss to the entire economy,” said Mr Koskei.

Horticulture, the cultivation of fruits, vegetables and flowers, is currently Kenya’s third-largest foreign exchange earner, after tea and tourism.

Addressing exporters at the Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA) offices in Nairobi, Koskei said unscrupulous traders have been exporting fresh produce with high levels of harmful chemicals, prompting the EU to threaten barring Kenya from accessing its market.

The country commands a substantial portion of the EU market, and is the leading exporter of cut flowers to it.

Intensive inspection

Blocking local producers from the market will endanger six million Kenyan jobs directly and indirectly.

Up to 150,000 farmers export fresh produce to the EU, which is 10 per cent of all horticulture farmers.

EU governments have stepped up the testing of fresh produce for the presence of pesticides such as dimethoate and other organophosphate chemicals blamed for the rise in cancer cases in Europe and Africa.

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) Managing Director James Onsando said even at a time of intensive inspection, unscrupulous dealers have continued exporting produce that contains high chemical levels.

“If an exporter ships a consignment of French beans to the EU market, 10 per cent of it must be tested to ascertain the level of residue pesticide. If the shipment is found to have exceeded 0.02 per cent of the required level, the exporter is penalised 100 per cent,” Mr Onsando said.

Shady exporters

Koskei claimed some shady exporters have formed more than three companies, which they use to export produce.

“Some of the local exporters, once they are intercepted shipping produce suspected to have high levels of pesticides, form other companies and continue with the illegal business,” he said.

Before fresh produce is shipped abroad, it has to be inspected by Kephis, HCDA, and the Pest Control Board.

“Based on the situation, we will gazette new rules to assist in destroying of horticulture export produce seized on the grounds it has high levels of residue pesticides. Further, we will publish new rules to tame the use of disputed chemicals and additional regulations to tighten inspection of the produce destined for the export market,” Koskei said.

“I know the measures will be painful, but we have to protect our market by enhancing compliance with global agricultural practices.”

Last year, more than 30,000 farmers’ produce was found to have high levels of pesticides, with 5,000 of them banned from exporting their French beans to the EU market.

Once produce is intercepted in any EU market, the exporter must pay laboratory tests.

Already, in the first six months of this year, local exporters have paid out Sh184.5 million in laboratory costs in the UK.

Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK) CEO, Stephen Mbithi, said industry stakeholders are intensifying compliance to ensure farmers are not forced to bear these export market costs.

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