Posted on June, 20, 2022 at 08:44 am
Kenya has blocked dozens of trucks ferrying maize from Tanzania over quality concerns even as the country grapples with dwindling stocks and skyrocketing prices of the commodity.
The maize shortage in the country has seen flour prices rise from $1.40 to about $2 for a two-kilogramme packet within a week, as millers slashed production by half.
But at the Namanga, Holili and Lunga Lunga border crossings with Tanzania, the dispute on the quality of the grain has maize-laden trucks in the queue, awaiting clearance into Kenya.
According to Kenyan government officials, the Tanzanian exporters lack phytosanitary certificates, hence the quality and safety of the commodity cannot be ascertained. But Tanzanian Agriculture Minister Hussein Bashe dismissed the claims terming them insincere and unjust, saying Tanzania supplies quality grain, “even to the World Food Programme.”
Also Read: Region starves as Tanzania seeks wider market for its surplus food
Kenya, in a note to border crossing managers, has called for fidelity to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and the World Trade Organisation agreement on sanitary and phytosanitary regulations.
Source: The Citizen