Tanzania’s Arumeru District Commisioner has banned all local Kenyan carrots from entering the East African Country affecting more than 50,000 smallholder farmers in the country.
In a report seen by FarmBiz Africa, the commissioner says that the blanket ban is in a bid to cushion local Tanzanian farmers and enable them earn more income. This is despite the fact that the five East Africa Community member states Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi signing a comprehensive common market protocol allowing goods from the countries to be sold freely across the borders in 2011.
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In October last year, Tanzania impounded and burned 6,400 live chicks from Kenya worth Sh577,000 on account that they were imported illegally via the Namanga border post with traders incurring losses.
Nevertheless, Kenya’s agricultural exports to Tanzania have hit a five month high from a ten year low recorded last year to Sh10.54bn, a 28 per cent increase compared to a similar period in 2017 according to data released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
Overall, earnings from exports of fresh horticultural produce have exhibited an upward trend since 2014 according to the 2018 Economic Survey report.
Exports values of fruits and vegetables including carrots increased by 23.3 per cent and three per cent, respectively in 2017.
Currently, 138kg bag of carrots is retailing at Sh1,800 to Sh4,140 in various towns across Kenya according to soko+, an online digital trading platform connecting smallholder farmers to bulk purchasers of produce.
In Nairobi, Nakuru and Mombasa one bag is sold for Sh3,800. In Kisumu it retails at Sh3,500 while Malindi records the highest price at Sh4,140. Eldoret town offers the cheapest price at Sh1800.