Kenyan food to remain on EU watchlist

Tomato vendors sells tomatoes at Kibuye market in Kisumu.Tomato prices at the market has gone up from sh.50 to sh.70 per kilogram following the dry spell that has hit most parts of the country.[PHOTO BY COLLINS ODUOR/STANDARD]

Kenya: Kenya will remain on the list of countries whose fresh produce is tested before it enters the European Union (EU) market.

The EU member states have resolved that Kenya will remain on the watchlist until the bloc is sure Kenyan commodities are free of high levels of banned pesticides and other chemicals.

Close scrutiny

Of the fresh produce exported to the EU market from Kenya, 10 per cent is subjected to tests in laboratories to check the levels of banned chemicals.

The high costs of these tests are borne by the exporters.

Certain flower varieties, vegetables and fruits will remain under the close scrutiny of EU governments on suspicion they may have been exposed to banned pesticides.

In an interview last week, the Trade Counsellor at the EU mission in Nairobi, Christophe De Vroey, acknowledged the Kenyan Government has been working to improve the situation the last 10 months.

“In November and October, no pesticide notifications were recorded in the fresh produce that was shipped from Kenya to the EU market,” Mr Vroey said.

“However, between December 2014, and January and February this year, cases of interception at points of entry increased slightly.”

Last week, an EU team led by the European Commission Policy Officer in charge of Bilateral International Relations, Stephene Andre, visited the country and noted that Kenya has made remarkable progress in addressing pesticide residue levels in crops that face regular interception in European markets.

“Notification due to harmful organisms was down by 45 per cent in the last quarter of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013,” she said.

“This has led to reduced interceptions, more awareness of market requirements, stepped up interest in business processes, and there improved export product quality.”

However, Ms Andre added that the recorded gains must be sustained for the EU to review downwards the 10 per cent sampling of produce.

Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) added that it has intensified measures to arrest high pesticide residue levels, and is hopeful the EU will soon rescind the decision to regularly test Kenyan produce.

Review progress

“[The EU members] will meet again in April to review the progress of all those countries on the watchlist. Should Kenya will have fully complied with the outlined requirements, it will be removed from the list,” said Vroey.

Kephis Acting Managing Director Esther Kimani said since mid-2014, strategies have been employed to enhance the capacity of Kenya’s testing facilities and increase the number of inspectors to ensure exports meet quality standards.

More than 150,000 farmers export fresh produce to the EU market, or one in 10 horticulture farmers.

“We have continued to improve the situation by suspending firms believed to be violating the residue rules on pesticides, purchasing equipment to enhance pesticide laboratory analysis, and hiring more inspectors to increase the contact time for each consignment,” said Ms Kimani.

The EU market is a key market for Kenyan flowers, fruits and vegetables, as well as Nile perch (fish). The European market bloc also consumes a large portion of Kenyan tea and coffee.

In 2012, the EU made changes to its legislation, allowing more inspections to verify exporters’ compliance with quality standards.