This archive report was first published on 1 December 2019.
As the country's agricultural sector continues to grow, a recent development has raised concerns about the impact on farmers. Reports of multinational firms withdrawing from the Kenyan market due to delays in clearing seed consignments at the Port of Mombasa are alarming.
According to the Seed Trade Association of Kenya, many exporters are considering withdrawing from the market due to the delays, which are subjecting them to extra costs running into millions.
The government's decision to relocate the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) from the port and transfer its role to the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) has been cited as the main reason for the delays.
Kebs requires exporters to produce Pre-Verification of Conformity certification showing that the seeds meet the required standards. However, this certification is supposed to be issued at the country of origin, a role that Kephis used to play at the port.
As a result, exporters are complaining that Kebs has no capacity to conduct the exercise at the country of origin, while Kephis had a network of partners across the world.
It is imperative that the main stakeholders revisit the decision and find a solution to the impasse. The main loser in this scenario will be the farmer, who will have to bear the extra costs incurred by these firms in the form of higher seed prices.
It makes no sense to give an agency without expertise in inspecting plants the critical role, when there already exists an agency that can perform that task.
The government should strive to ease the delays at the port, not compound them. It is not too late to rethink the directive and ensure that critical agencies work in unison for the benefit of the end users, in this case being the farmers who buy seeds.
