•Proposed law seeks to tighten rules governing production, processing, marketing, import and export of food
Image: AGATHA NGOTHO
Water used for irrigating food crops could soon be subjected to laboratory tests if a new Bill by the Ministry of Agriculture becomes law.
The proposed Crops (Food Crops) Regulations 2018 says no person will be allowed "to use water for irrigation to produce food crops unless the water has been analysed by a competent laboratory and declared safe for food crop production."
The Bill also says water fit for drinking will be used to clean food produce and products.
"A person shall not produce food crops on soils that have been confirmed to be contaminated with heavy metals, toxic substances and harmful pathogenic organisms," part of the Bill says.
The proposed law seeks to tighten rules governing production, processing, marketing, imports and export of food.
Maize, barley, finger millet, pearl millet, wheat, wheat pasta, oats, rye, triticale and amaranth are some of the crops targeted under the new proposal.
Others are soya beans, pigeon peas, cowpeas, chicken peas, broad beans, duster beans, dolichos beans, sweet potatoes and cassava.
The new regulations will however not compel smallholder growers of food crops to become part of growers’ associations.
The Bill currently at the Attorney-General's office was developed by Agriculture ministry, the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and county governments.
Under the proposed law, large-scale growers, grower associations, marketing agents will register with the county government in which they are domiciled.
The county government will issue a certificate of registration on an annual basis to the food crop growers, grower associations and marketing agents.
Under the proposals, dealers have to buy food crops only from licensed growers associations.
Growing food crops in areas that pose contamination risk will not be allowed.
Such areas includes sites used for domestic animal production, disposal sites for garbage and industrial waste.
Others are sites for sanitary waste management, sites used for mining activities, oil or gas extraction, sites with a history of flooding and roadsides.
If the proposed law is approved, it will track safety standards all the way from harvesting, grading, packaging, labelling , transportation and processing.
To ensure this happens, every operator of collection centres, warehouse or store and food depot will register with Agriculture and Food Authority.
Every dealer in a scheduled crop shall register with the authority.
A registered food crop dealer will not move or cause to be moved any consignment of food produce in excess of five metric tonnes from one county to another without a valid certificate of produce.
The county government shall issue the certificate of produce for movement of any consignment.
Food inspectors will be responsible for enforcing the proposed laws.
Growers who exceed the maximum residue limit will find it rough they will be suspended from crop cultivation until corrective measures are undertaken.
The new regulations also have provisions aimed at controlling prices of food produce.
The Bill has proposed the formation of a Food Crops Pricing Committee composed of 11 members.
The committee will be responsible for reviewing food produce prices and advising the Ministry of Agriculture.
The draft regulations say the pricing formula of food crops will take into consideration the cost of production, input-output price parity, and trends in market prices.
Other things to be considered include demand and supply, inter-crop price parity, the effect on industrial cost structure among other factors.
Members of the committee will be drawn from AFA and the Council of Governors.
Farmers and buyers will each have two representatives.
However, economist Aly-Khan Satchu termed the move as "populist policy making trying to fix the problem using wrong medicine."
"The history of price control in this country is a complete failure. I cannot think of any price control that has ever worked," he told the Star on phone.
Satchu said if there was free and open market without "silly licenses and other things", there would be no distortions.