Setbacks pull back miraa trade despite new status

Kello Harsama, the Secretary of Administration at the State Department of Crops in the Ministry of Agriculture (left) meets Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi on October 15, 2015 in the county headquarters at the start of the Miraa Task force Implementation Committee two week visit to crop growing areas in Mt Kenya East. Harsama is chairing the implementation committee. [Wainaina Ndung'u/Standard]

Even after miraa was recognised as a cash crop by the government in 2016 with a Sh1 billion budgetary allocation, local setbacks have recently hit the sub-sector.

Miraa is already reeling from an export ban to lucrative European markets in Britain and Netherlands where consumption was driven by the significant Somali immigrant community. Now industry players say some county governments have threatened to clamp down on miraa trade and consumption in their areas, posing further challenges.