• Lichoro said the declassification is the only remaining stumbling block in accessing international markets for khat.
• He said last year the union made productive trips to Djibouti and Congo, where they secured a sizable market for the crop.
Image: FILE
Miraa farmers from Meru have called for the review of the crop's classification as a drug to attract more markets outside the country.
Miraa Growers and Traders Cooperative Union said classifying the crop as a drug hinders it from gaining access to international markets.
Nacada still refers to miraa as a drug, a move the farmers say prompted similar classification in other countries, including the United Kingdom, Netherlands among other major international markets that barred the use and sale of the substance.
Union chairman Moses Lichoro said the declassification is the only remaining stumbling block in accessing international markets for khat.
He thanked President William Ruto for expressing his concern in the crop’s business but said this should start with declassifying it as a drug as it stands at the moment.
“We know the President is a busy man and we are therefore calling on our political leaders from this county to make a follow up and ensure a review of the crop’s classification. The ‘hard drug’ label it bears at the moment is not supported by any scientific evidence," Lichoro said.
He said last year the union, through the efforts of the county government of Meru and the Ministry of Agriculture, made productive trips to Djibouti and Congo, where they secured a sizable market for the crop but cannot access it due to lack of a direct airline to the two countries.
“We are pleased that Djibouti and Congo agreed to buy at least 10 and five tonnes of miraa on a daily basis but this will not happen until we get a direct airline to the country. We are therefore calling on our President to intervene by securing us an airline to make the market a reality,” Lichoro said.
He also urged the President to fulfil his promise of dealing with miraa cartels who have already bedeviled the subsector to the disadvantage of the farmers.
Suset Kagwiria, a member of the union, thanked the Kenya Kwanza government for expressing concern on miraa farming, which she said will soon bear fruit.
She urged farmers to be prepared to venture into serious miraa farming as "good times lie ahead".
“Miraa has been the backbone of our economy in this region and we are encouraging our farmers to keep on moving as plans are at an advanced stage to revive the sub-sector,” Kagwiria said.