Kenya: Stiffer quality checks for fresh produce exporters

Published May 5, 2023

Tridge summary

The National Horticulture Taskforce (NHT) in Kenya has launched 'Good Agricultural Practice Guides' for avocados, beans, and peas to help exporters meet sanitary and phytosanitary requirements. The guides aim to address issues such as the harvesting of immature crops, improper storage and transportation, disease, and pest controls, and hygiene, which have led to interceptions and bans in destination markets. The decline in export volumes and revenue, especially in avocados due to challenges like pesticide residue and competition, have necessitated these guides. Funded by the EU, the guides will assist in maintaining commercial quality and regulatory compliance for these crops, and the NHT is also advocating for the implementation of an internal audit system in exporting companies.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

Farmers, transporters and exporters who fail to comply with new fresh produce procedures risk being excluded from the export market following a new guide to ensure compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements at the regional and international levels. The National Horticulture Taskforce (NHT) has launched Good Agricultural Practice Guides for avocados, beans and peas that compel exporters to comply with the standards demanded by destination markets to avoid bans. This is amid rising levels of interception tied to the harvest of immature crops, storage and transportation, disease and pest controls and hygiene, restricting access to the export markets and reducing the country’s competitiveness. Read: Fresh produce exporters lose customs levy war “At every stage for every operator from the producer to the transporter to the person who consolidates to the market, there's a procedure in which we are advising on how to attain these (requirements) religiously as ...

Source: Businessdailyafrica