The government has introduced a tonnage-based levy on commercial miraa transporters where the traders will pay up to Sh10,000 in licence fees.
The new charges contained in the recently published Crops (Miraa) Regulations are part of rules meant to ensure the production of quality miraa, both for export and local consumption.
Miraa traders transporting less than 500 kilogrammes of the commodity will pay Sh5,000, while those handling between 1,000 and 10,000 kilos will produce Sh10,000.
“A licensed commercial miraa transporter shall display the licence on the front windscreen of the vehicle while transporting miraa,” Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya says in the regulations.
Those transporting miraa weighing between 500 and 1,000 kilograms will pay the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Sh7,500 before getting clearance to operate.
The rules seek to impose a Sh30 levy on each kilo of exported miraa and related products and Sh60 per kilo for imports.
Export licences will be acquired for Sh20,000 and renewed at Sh10,000 while importers will pay Sh50,000 for the permits and Sh30,000 to renew.
Under the regulations, an export permit will cost Sh4,000 while an import permit will cost Sh6,000. The regulations were published in June, three years after they were formulated.
Traders have in the past paid varied rates depending on the county of operation, exposing farmers to exploitation.
