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Kenya to enhance monitoring of agricultural exports

Xinhua, March 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenya said on Monday it will enhance the monitoring of agricultural exports to ensure they conform to strict European Union (EU) maximum pest residue standards.

Esther Kimani, Acting Managing Director with Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), told an agricultural forum in Nairobi that 301 samples have been tested at the point of exit at Kenya's main airport between November 2014 and the end of last month.

"The exporters whose samples tested positive were suspended and will be required to meet the standards before reinstatement," Kimani said.

KEPHIS is the body mandated to issue phyto-sanitary certificates to ensure that quality agricultural produce is exported out of K enya.

Kenya is key exporter of fruits and vegetables to the EU. The EU in December 2012 imposed enhanced surveillance on beans and peas imports from Kenya following a detection of pesticides residues exceeding EU standards.

Kimani said horticulture exports markets need to be safeguarded as they are a key foreign exchange earner and employer.

"All commodities going out of the country must comply with international agreements and must have a phytosanitary certificate before being exported," she said, adding that the country has also implemented additional steps to reduce pesticides levels on horticulture.

The Kenya Bureau of Standards is also reviewing the national standard on fruits and vegetables to ensure that the products are safe for consumption. Endi