HOW NEW SAFETY RULES WILL LOCK OUT MILLIONS OF KENYAN VEGETABLE AND FRUIT FARMERS FROM MARKET.

Kenya Government is planning to enforce stringent farm regulations on production and sale of fruits and vegetables. 

Referred to as KS1758 Kenyan standard food safety measure, it consists of 500 new rules for farmers which if enacted could cut off supplies of over 90 per cent of the country’s locally consumed fruit and vegetables by Prevent more than three million farmers from selling fruits and vegetables in the Kenyan market.  

This in a nutshell means, only large-scale farmers, companies and importers will be permitted to grow, sell and or processes fruit and vegetables in Kenya.  

All the farmers will be required to adhere to the standards, which require them to register themselves giving their ID numbers, Land registration (Title-deeds) and keep farm records for annual submission to pertinent authorities and their produce buyers. 

The reason the farmer should submit records to the buyer is that the law proposes heavy penalties for traders who buy produce from farmers who are not certified! 

The penalties will apply to middlemen, distributors, processors or any direct buyer who purchases fruits and vegetables from a farmer who has not been certified as having implemented the mandatory, KS1758 Kenyan standard.

Farmers will be required to apply for National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) licences to grow fruits or vegetables at a minimum cost of Sh10,000 per licence,

carry out soil and water analyses at a cost of Sh2,500 to Sh5,000, 

pay for certification with a National or International Standards Certifier and prepare dozens of records. 

Among other compulsory practices, the farmer will have to analyse and keep record of the nutrient content of any compost or manure they use. 

A rough estimate cost for analysis, certification, levies and fees exceeds Sh250,000 per farmer. 

International agricultural Non-Governmental Organisation CABI said in July that it would not be possible for individual farmers to cover the cost of certification which may lead most farmers quitting the trade.

Since there are similarly stringent laws on trade in vegetables and fruits, it will put many of the small traders out of job leaving it only to big corporations.

There will be hefty penalties in fines and/or jail terms for those who will breach these rules.