Kenya produce : UK ban campaign loses steam

Kenya's horticultural industry appears to be winning the battle to protect its huge European market in the face of a campaign by supermarkets in the United Kingdom to block its products over environmental concerns.

A former British MP, Tony Colman, said strong lobbying in Britain had won over the support of the media and owners of supermarkets. He said the sales of vegetables and flowers from Kenya had actually increased. Colman is also the executive director of African Practice, a private consultancy firm that lobbies for African states on trade issues in Europe. Colman said the issue of carbon emissions for produce from Africa had been exaggerated.

Agriculture minister Kipruto Arap Kirwa said Kenya exports only five per cent of its vegetables and the European Union standards applied were also meant to protect the Kenyan public. He also said Kenya will label horticultural products exported to counter campaigns against carbon miles. The label will inform consumers that horticultural products are produced under environmentally friendly conditions and meet international standards. Kirwa said complaints by Europe on carbon miles are baseless since Africa emits 1.2 tones per capita of carbon while Europe and America emit 20 and 42 tonnes per capita of carbon respectively.

Some UK supermarkets had labelled horticultural products from Kenya, to warn potential customers that they were transported by high carbon-emitting aircraft which contributed to global warming. The supermarket owners now said to understand that the contribution of Kenya's horticultural products to carbon emissions are much less than in Europe, where production is mainly done under greenhouse conditions.

Daily Nation, KBC