Government directive to reduce the number of agencies at the Mombasa port to five has come to haunt seed importers.
Bulk seed importers have increased demurrage costs as consignments shipped into Kenya spend up to a month at the port.
Furthermore, the directive saw Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (Kephis) kicked out of the Mombasa port. Therefore, leaving the bulk of the work to the Kenya Bureau of Statistics (KEBS) which lacks the capacity to handle the inspection.
Seed Trade Association of Kenya (STAK) says the new directive affects the agricultural sector that relies heavily on imported seeds.
Kassim Owino, chairman STAK, says seed importers are incurring costs running into millions of shillings from delayed inspection and clearing.
Multinational firms bringing seeds to Kenya have threatened to leave the market due to delays.
Firms threatening to leave the country include a number of European exporters, and French firm Technoserve.
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