Six million Kenyans may lose jobs if EU bans fresh produce
"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.
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.
Source: www.standardmedia.co.ke
