The European Union Wednesday provided a grant of Sh1.4 billion to enhance quality assessment in institutions dealing with certification of exports.
The money from the European Development Fund comes just weeks after Kenya was put on notice over possible trade restrictions on horticulture exports to the EU if it fails to reduce pesticide residue levels and harmful micro-organisms by end of September.
The Standards and Market Access Programme (SMAP) was launched by an EU delegation and officials of the National Treasury and ministries of Industrialisation and Agriculture and Fisheries.
The objective is to enhance quality and compliance of standards for exports and local food market by providing testing equipment and setting up monitoring systems.
Institutions that will share the money include Kenya Bureau of Standards, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service and Veterinary department.
The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation will educate farmers, processors and traders on sanitary, phytosanitary and commercial standards required.
MONEY WILL BE RELEASED
“SMAP will strengthen Kenya’s regulatory framework and capacity for certification of animal and plant-based products,” Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei said at Serena Hotel, Nairobi.
Kebs will get Sh365 million, out of which Sh250 million will go to purchasing equipment for the testing laboratories and the rest to training staff. The managing director, Mr Charles Ongwae, said the money will be released within a week and the tendering process is about to start. The remaining cash will be shared between Kephis and the veterinary department.
The country has been under the EU radar for three years over high pesticide residue levels, leading to 10 percent of the volume of horticulture exports being subjected to testing.
The situation worsened this year after the number of interventions increased, due to detection of harmful micro-organisms in mangoes. Several firms have also been suspended from exporting their products after being found to have violated the minimum residue levels.
Kephis managing director James Onsando was recently sent on compulsory leave to pave the way for investigations on the increasing cases of non-compliant exports.
Source: Daily Nation

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