Somalia has reached a deal to resume importing miraa(khat) from Kenya, with Kenya’s Agriculture Peter Munya stating that it will take the next two weeks before the final paperwork is complete to enable execution of the agreement.
The agreement between Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his counterpart Uhuru Kenyatta from Kenya brings to a scratching halt the smuggling of khat through the Lamu port-that has been going on following the official import ban put in place by the Somalia regime.
Somalia suspended miraa imports from Kenya on March 19, 2020, citing Covid-19 restrictions, but the suspension was never lifted as diplomatic issues kicked in. The ban led to a loss of a daily market for more than 50 tons of khat valued at more than KSh 20 million then.
“While we are still doing the paper work, this country is also negotiating for access to Kenya’s fresh fish market. All the negotiations are complete,” CS Munya told the media Friday.
CS Munya also said that direct flights between the two neighbouring countries would resume from next Tuesday, 14th June 2022, a move that would enable the crop to be flown directly from Isiolo airport.
A bilateral air service agreement between the two nations is expected to be signed on the sidelines of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) meeting slated for Tuesday in Nairobi.
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