Kenyan fresh produce exports to Europe face a bleak future following a rise in the number of consignments being locked out of the key market on health concerns. Fresh produce exporters eyeing the EU market said they have been witnessing challenges with shipments since last year when the bloc reviewed regulations on usage of pesticides.
“The notifications of rejections have been growing especially among supermarkets and retail outlets in the Scandinavia region. A few companies have even been blocked from selling produce in these markets,” Stephen Mbithi, the CEO of Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya (FPEAK) said.
He said buyers in the EU have mainly raised concerns over the usage of a pesticide known as Dimethoate which is popular among Kenyan vegetable producers. The pesticide in mainly used by tomato, cabbage and kale farmers to kill mites and insects .
“The EU slashed the tolerable levels of Dimethoate which happens to be very popular in Kenya because of its cheaper pricing. The result of this is massive rejection of shipments from Kenya that have been sprayed with this substance,” Dr Mbithi said.
In humans, repeated or prolonged exposure to pesticides such as Dimethoate is claimed lead to impaired memory and concentration, disorientation, severe depressions, irritability, confusion, headache, speech difficulties, delayed reaction times, nightmares, sleepwalking and drowsiness or insomnia.
A new report by the European Commission (EC)’s Health and Consumers Directorate showed that in 2010 alone there were four cases of suspected contaminated food from Kenya compared to just one case the previous year.
The EU is a key market for fruits and vegetables as well Nile Perch from Kenya. The market bloc also takes up a large portion of Kenyan beverages such as coffee and tea.
The EC, however, did not specify the nature of contamination on the shipments from Kenya even as it raised a red flag over growing cases of suspicious food consignments entering the market bloc from all over the world.
John Dalli, commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, said the overall number of notification of suspected contaminated foods hit the 8,000 mark in 2010, representing an eight per cent increase over the previous year.
“This growth over the third consecutive year is largely down to rejections of consignments at EU borders in the light of the strengthening border controls as regards food of non-animal origin,” he said. Statistics showed that shipments of fish , fruits and vegetables, nuts and nut products as well as herbs and spices were most affected by the Europe’s contamination alerts in 2010.
Strict regulation on pesticide usage by the EU has been cited as a major barrier to growth in trade with several developing nations such as Kenya that are situated within the tropics and have to endure high levels of pest attacks every crop season.
“The level of rejection of shipments from Kenya is in fact much higher that the figures released by the EU,” Dr Mbithi said.
In a tough stance to ensure that maximum residue levels (MRLs) are as low as possible, applicants seeking to make shipments to the EU must get approval for a pesticide used by submitting scientific information about the minimum amounts of the pesticide necessary to protect a crop and the residue level remaining on the crop after such treatment.