• Acephate is one of the chemicals that is banned in EU but is in use in Kenya.
• Traces of the chemical have been found in the beans and peas exported from Kenya hence the interception.
Image: /ALICE WAITHERA
Kenya has this year recorded 62 interceptions of export of fresh produce to the European Union market destinations of France, Netherland and Germany.
Acephate is one of the chemicals that is banned in EU but is in use in Kenya.
Traces of the chemical have been found in the beans and peas exported from Kenya hence the interception.
Benjamin Tito, director for Horticulture Crops Directorate under the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development said from January to October this year, the inceptions have increased from 57 notifications last year to 62.
He spoke during the opening of the Fruits and Vegetable conference and exhibition being held in Nairobi.
The meeting is organized by Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP) Kenya, a project funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with the Government and private sector.
Tito said last year, there were a total of 57 notifications, which has increased to 62 this year from January to the end of October.
“The notification is on beans and peas exports and this is a worrying trend. But we also take cognition of the fact that we had one notification coming from maximum residue levels (MRLs) in avocado. It was the first of its kind and it has already been addressed,” he said.
But Tito said there is no cause of alarm with that because the necessary mechanisms have already been put in place.
“We envisage that there will be no repeat notification related to maximum residue levels (MRLs) exceeded in avocados. But the main contributor of this is the problem with the inadequate irrigated water due to the current drought,” said Tito.
“Kenya has the capacity to even meet the most stringent measure that the market requires and that’s why we have been able to surpass exports of many of the other African countries,” he said.
Ojepat Okisegere, chief executive officer, Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya said a committee composed of officials from the Government and the private sector has been formed to look into the interception issue.
“They are currently doing audits to ensure that we minimise any further interceptions for beans and peas. The interception on avocado has already been addressed,” said Okisegere.
“We have hit a record of 62 interceptions in beans and peas and they are associated with one molecule called acephate. We are working with the agrochemical industry to ensure that we get to know exactly what is happening, and if we are getting the pesticide outside the country or if they are part of the metabolizer in pesticides,” he said.
Okisegere said this is a notorious molecule, but the interception is not for all molecules but for one particular molecule.
He said they are addressing it together with the distributor and the seller of this molecule in the country.
“We have also engaged with the East African Community. We were in Tanzania last week, because we suspect that this molecule could be coming to Kenya through Tanzania. There is a lot of production at the border level hence the reason we are engaging with the Tanzanian authority and private sector to ensure we address the issue of cross border movement of the pesticides,” said Okisegere.
He added that;
“We want to fight the molecule together and not internally because there is a lot of cross border importation.”