The government has launched standards that will ensure the food safety and traceability of horticulture produce.
Agriculture and Livestock Development CS Mithika Linturi has said that sanitary and phytosanitary issues and excess use of pesticides in produce and pests have remained a major challenge in trade for horticultural products for both domestic and international markets.
He said the last two years have been challenging due to Covid-19 and the consequent containment measures both domestically and internationally occasioning reduced market demand, and high cost of freight.
“It is in the wake of these challenges that the Ministry through the Horticultural Crops Directorate, Kenya Bureau of Standards, the horticulture industry, and other stakeholders recently established a Kenyan Standard dubbed KS 1758: 2015 & KS 1758: 2016. These are aimed at addressing food safety and traceability along the agriculture value chain for fresh produce,” said Linturi.
The CS spoke on Monday during a meeting with the Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya.
“KS 1758 is a Code of Practice for the Horticulture Industry that is divided into two parts, Part one for Floriculture and Ornamentals and Part two for Fruits and Vegetables that was developed with reference to International and Regional Private Voluntary Standards and Government Regulations,” he said.
The CS said there are programs that have been rolled out from which producers, farmers, supermarkets, groceries, county markets, consolidators, packhouses and exporters will benefit through knowledge transfer and assistance in the implementation of KS 1758 Standard.
“This will enhance the quality and safety of our products hence leading to increased trade in the domestic and international markets,” said Linturi.
Data from the Horticultural Crops Directorate shows that between January to November 2021, exports for horticulture products rose from Sh136.7 billion in 2020 to Sh145.4 billion in 2021. This represented a six per cent increase.
