Kenyan Farmers Get New Export Opportunity as China Opens Dried Chilli Market

Kenyan farmers, processors and exporters have secured a new international market for dried chillies following the opening of China to the commodity. 

In a statement on Thursday, October 22, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) said the new market access would allow Kenyan producers and exporters to supply dried chillies to the Chinese market, subject to compliance with the required phytosanitary, food safety and quality standards. 

"The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) wishes to inform farmers, exporters, processors, packers, producer organisations and other stakeholders that Kenya has secured market access for the export of dried chilies to the People's Republic of China," the statement read.

KEPHIS said exporters seeking to benefit from the opportunity must meet the applicable requirements governing pest control, traceability, processing, packaging and food safety before their consignments can be shipped to China.

"This market access presents an opportunity for Kenyan producers and exporters to diversify export markets and increase trade in dried chilies. Exporters intending to access the Chinese market are required to comply with the applicable phytosanitary, food safety, traceability, processing, packaging and quality requirements," the statement added.

Under the new export arrangements, processing and packing facilities must be registered with China's General Administration of Customs (GACC) through KEPHIS. 

The facilities will first undergo inspection and approval by KEPHIS before registration.

Farmers and exporters will also be required to register their farms, production sites, drying facilities and packhouses with KEPHIS and comply with the applicable requirements for export certification.

Every consignment of dried chillies destined for China must be accompanied by a KEPHIS Phytosanitary Certificate confirming that the shipment meets the prescribed plant health requirements.

The agency has also directed exporters to establish appropriate traceability systems, implement Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and maintain pest monitoring records for at least two years.

Food safety compliance will be another key condition for accessing the Chinese market. Exporters must meet the applicable pesticide maximum residue limits, aflatoxin B1 standards and heavy metal limits. 

The requirements also prohibit Sudan dyes and require compliance with microbiological standards, including the absence of Salmonella.

Dried chilli consignments must have a moisture content not exceeding 13 per cent and meet the prescribed packaging and labelling requirements. 

Exporters are also required to use clean and appropriate packaging materials to ensure the products meet the required standards during transportation and handling.

KEPHIS has further outlined a list of quarantine pests and pathogens that must not be present in export consignments destined for China.

These include Acanthoscelides obtectus, commonly known as the common bean bruchid; Callosobruchus maculatus, or the cowpea weevil; and Trogoderma granarium, known as the khapra beetle.

Other organisms listed in the requirements include the potato spindle tuber viroid (PSTVd), tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum associated with zebra chip disease, and Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis, which causes bacterial canker of tomato.

The list also includes Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato, associated with bacterial speck of tomato, and Orobanche species, commonly known as broomrapes.

The requirements place responsibility on farmers, processors, packers and exporters to ensure that dried chillies meet the prescribed standards throughout production, processing, storage and shipment.

KEPHIS urged industry players interested in taking advantage of the newly opened market to seek guidance from the agency on registration, certification and compliance procedures.

"Interested farmers, exporters, processors, aggregators and industry associations are encouraged to get in touch with KEPHIS for further guidance," the statement concluded.

Elsewhere, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) has warned mitumba traders against importing second-hand underwear.

In a statement, the agency stated that it intercepted a consignment of used undergarments while inspecting a shipment of imported used clothing and shoes.

KEBS said that the importation of used innerwear was strictly prohibited in the country and was in contravention of applicable standards.

"During an inspection yesterday, KEBS officers intercepted a consignment containing used undergarments, which are prohibited under the applicable requirements," the statement read.

KEBS notified the second-hand clothing traders of other attire that is prohibited from being imported as used.

"Importers are reminded to ensure that consignments do not contain prohibited used textiles, including briefs, brassieres, camisoles, socks, stockings and swimwear," the statement added.