Economy

Regulator suspends use of pesticide on vegetables

fruits

The European Union had set a September 30 deadline for Kenya to cut residue chemicals on fresh produce exports or risk sanctions. PHOTO | FILE

The government has suspended the use of a controversial pesticide that has been linked to cancer on fruits and vegetables as Kenya races to protect its fresh produce from increased sanctions by the European Union.

The Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) said it had halted the use of Dimethoate and its related substrates on fruits and vegetables.

Manufacturers of the pesticide will now be required to provide highly visible labels prohibiting the use of the chemical on edibles.

“The Pest Control Products Board has with immediate effect suspended all foliar use of Dimethoate…on vegetables and fruits,” Faith Mutwiri, chairperson of the board, said in the latest Kenya Gazette notice.

“All companies dealing in or having the above pest control products in stock shall declare the quantities in stock within 30 days.”

A number of Kenyan consignments have recently been locked out of the EU market after buyers raised concerns over the use of Dimethoate, which is popular among vegetable farmers. It is mainly used by tomato, cabbage and kale farmers to kill mites and insects.

Repeated or prolonged exposure to pesticides such as Dimethoate is claimed to cause impaired memory and concentration, disorientation and severe depression.

Other side-effects are irritability, confusion, headaches, speech difficulties, delayed reaction times, nightmares, sleepwalking and drowsiness or insomnia. Studies in the EU have also linked the pesticide to cancer.

READ: Chemical ban hits vegetable exports to the EU market

The European Parliament recently adopted tough measures on food safety in which all consignments entering the bloc must be subjected to thorough scrutiny right from the point of origin.

Under the regulations, exporters to the EU are required to fill a Common Entry Document that is counter checked by authorities to confirm compliance with all safety controls on harmful elements such as aflatoxins, pesticide residues and heavy metals such as lead.

The European Food Safety Authority then verifies that the residue is safe for all its consumer groups.

Locally, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (Kephis) is accredited to carry out such inspections on behalf of the EU thereby helping traders avoid the expensive double inspection of produce both at the point of exit and entry to the export market.

The EU had set a deadline of September 30 for Kenya to cut the residue chemicals in exports, to comply with Europe’s guidelines, or risk sanctions on exports of its cut flowers, fruit and vegetables.

Kenya earned Sh83.4 billion from horticulture exports last year. The EU bloc is its main export market. The reputation of Kenya’s horticulture exports to the EU remains under threat as local dealers step up smuggling of rejected flowers and fruits to Europe.

Data from European Food Safety Commission showed that 45 consignments of contaminated fresh produce sourced from Kenya were intercepted in the four months to April — extending a trend analysts warned could ruin the country’s competitiveness if not checked.

This was up from 41 consignments captured in the same period last year and pales in comparison to nine contaminated shipments from Ethiopia, which rivals Kenya in the export of flowers to the EU.

The banned shipments have piled pressure on Kenya to enhance safety measures on its horticulture exports as it emerges that some farmers are still using banned pesticides during production.