Ministry adopts stern measures to curb counterfeiting of goods

The Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Ministry has adopted far-reaching mechanisms among them enforcement of stiff penalties and prosecution of culpable organizations in a move meant to eliminate existence of counterfeit products in the Kenyan market, a Senior official at the Ministry has announced.

Director of Crop Resources, Agribusiness and Market Development at the Agriculture Ministry, Dr. Johnson Waithaka has said the ministry has established a Horticulture Competent Authority Structure which monitors all the Agro-vets to ensure that they do not stock any counterfeit products.

Dr. Waithaka said the ministry through Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Authority (AFFA) has also deployed Extension Officers who undertake surveillance on the ground to ensure that farmers buy quality and standardized goods.

He warned that any organization or individual violating the law risks facing arrested and prosecution.

The Director said the ministry has also developed a strategy that address exceeds of maximum residue limits and presence of harmful organisms in the produce.

“Through the strategy we have achieved enhanced food safety standards thus reducing interceptions and notifications for export crops,” he said.

Waithaka was speaking today at a Nairobi hotel during the inauguration of County Level Workshops and Expos which aims to enhance food safety and increasing agricultural productivity.

The program will be rolled out in 10 Counties early next year. They include Embu, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kiambu among others.

The program is being funded by Kenya Market Trust (KMT) and Agrochemicals Association of Kenya (AAK).

KMT Sector Lead in charge of Agricultural inputs Susan Maina lauded the program saying it will scale up the knowledge and understanding of the farmer in relation to the emerging innovations in the agricultural industry.

"Once farmers get information about a particular product through exhibitions and workshops, it enables them to identify the manufacturers, suppliers and distributors and are able to ask questions regarding the product usage," she reiterated.

Maina said the one-year program will play a vital role of disseminating information to farmers in the identified counties alongside exposing them to modalities they are required to apply towards increasing their farm productivity.

AAK Chief Executive Officer Evelyn Lusenaka said AAK has over the years invented new farm technologies which are yet to be known by a sizeable farmer population across the country.

“We have produced new technologies but they are not reaching the farmers, so we want to promote this by building capacity of our extension officers who can then pass the innovations to farmers,” the AAK boss said.

Present at the event were KMT Portfolio Director Ali Hassan, AAK Chairperson Susan Njoroge and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS) Quality Assurance General Manager Simeon Logo.