Posted on January, 15, 2019 at 09:36 am
By Wahinya Henry
Exporters of fresh produce to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) face the risk of being deregistered if they fail to comply with the latest demands to prove their produce is free from the Fall army worm.
Under the new demands, exporters ought to declare produce free from the Fall army worm and this should be accompanied with a fumigation certificate indicating the treatment used to fight the pest which should be declared on the phytosanitary certificate. Post-harvest measures applied is also required to be clearly declared
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) has, however, set out to restore the confidence of the UAE markets by summoning 20 fresh produce exporters with established clients to a crisis meeting at the organisation’s headquarters for briefing of what is expected of them.
Keitt Exporters, Sun Ripe Val, Flora Times Kenya, Victoria Imports, Athi Farm, Freight Wings and Subati Group were among exporters who attended the briefing,
General Manager, Phytosanitary Services Isaac Macharia urged them to safeguard the Arab market by fully complying with its regulations and standards to avoid interceptions and rejections.
He also warned against criminal activities such as acquiring fake documents and smuggling of illegal commodities.
“As a State Corporation, we are here to support you by ensuring that you are well familiar with all foreign market requirements and strictly adhere to regulations,” he said during the forum.
Source: MediaMax Network