Posted on May, 10, 2021 at 08:57 am
Kenya is yet to relax strict conditions that it imposed on maize coming in from Tanzania even after President Uhuru Kenyatta issued a two-week ultimatum to have stocks held at the borders cleared.
A day after Mr Kenyatta directed Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya to ensure speedy clearance of the stocks, sector regulator Thursday issued a statement highlighting the conditions that will be adhered to before clearing the maize.
Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) said each consignment has to meet the maximum permissible aflatoxin levels of 10 parts per billion, a basis upon which maize from Tanzania and Uganda were from entering Kenya.
The guidelines also comprise other stringent requirements such as registration of all importers through the AFA’s IMIS system and presentation of a copy of the certificate of registration to the inspector at the border point.
Traders will also be required to issue certificate of conformity from a competent authority in the exporting country as evidence of the safety of the consignments and the produce will not be subjected to any further analysis.
However, a sample may be taken randomly for confirmatory tests.
Source: Daily Monitor