Kenya has initiated measures to help lift the ban on mango exports imposed by the European Union. The Kenyan farmers seek to secure international markets for the fruit.
Thus, stakeholders have launched a fruit fly-free zone campaign, dubbed “Komesha fruit fly”, that seeks to create awareness among farmers on ways in which they could eliminate the pest from their produce. The two-year Komesha Fruit Fly campaign will be launched today, January 22 in Makueni county.
“The purpose of the campaign is to bring farmers and other stakeholders on board so that we can get rid of the pest and to convince the international market that we have met the standards,” The Standard quotes Dr Esther Kimani, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) managing director.
As per the Standard Kenya imposed a self-ban on mangoes to Europe and America after several interceptions of mango exports by the European Union authorities between 2010 and 2014.
According to the Horticultural Crops Directorate, Kenya is losing over KSh50 billion worth of mango exports annually as a result of damage caused by pests.
Dr Esther Kimani further says she is optimistic the ban will be lifted early next year, if Kenya meets the required regulations. They are set to use fruit fly traps, both commercial and home-made, attracting files with apple cider vinegar and old fruit and trapping them in plastic.
Mangoes are the second-most-common fruit produced in Kenya after bananas, being grown on 49,098 hectares and producing 779, 147 metric tonnes valued at KSh11.9 billion.
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