Kenya may lose EU for peas, beans

Peas and beans in pods (unshelled) from Kenya will continue to be subjected to strict sanitary and phytosanitary controls before entering the European market, following a rise in cases of contaminated produce last year.

The European Union mission in Kenya confirmed that in the past month, interceptions were made of peas and beans exceeding the maximum residue levels (MRLs). This means that the chemical levels, mainly of pesticides, found in the two export products did not fall within the European legal limit.

“There have been new interceptions of products exceeding the MRLs over the past months. It is my hope stakeholders will see the urgency of the situation and take corrective action before it is too late,” said Christophe De Vroey, the trade and communication counsellor at the EU mission in Kenya.

The EU has come up with a list of commodities, based on the risk they pose to human health and the environment, that are subjected to strict official controls at the trade bloc’s points of entry. Unshelled peas and beans make that list.

Source: www.theeastafrican.co.ke