Kenya miraa traders see sales hit from Somali-Ethiopia deal
Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Federal Republic of Somalia Fardowsa Osman (L) and Ministry of Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen (R) signing a Bilateral Air Services Agreement at Transcom House, Nairobi on August 9, 2023. PHOTO | BONFACE BOGITA | NMG
Miraa farmers in Kenya are projecting a dip in sales after Somalia granted Ethiopia 10 days of exclusive khat market access every month.
Nyambene Miraa Trade Association (Nyamita) Chairman Kimathi Munjuri said cargo airlines operating from Nairobi had received instructions from Mogadishu not to allow miraa cargo from Friday.
The developments come after Ethiopia reportedly lodged complaints with Somalia over Kenya’s dominance in the Somali khat market since President Hassan Mohamud lifted a ban on miraa last year.
The directive came even as Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and his Somalia counterpart Fardowsa Egal on Wednesday signed a bilateral Air Service Agreement to enhance passenger and cargo flights between the two countries.
Maua Miraa Traders Association Chairman Mohamed Quresh said Ethiopia was pushing for alternate market days for Ethiopian and Kenyan khat.
Mr Munjuri said the directives by Somalia mean there will be no Miraa export to Mogadishu from Friday night.
“We had alerted the government of this plan two weeks ago, but it appears Kenyan officials have not been able to avert it," Mr Munjuri said.
"The fact that Ethiopia has achieved exclusive trade days due to direct push by their prime minister shows the level of intervention Kenya must activate.”
He said Somalia had earlier introduced an import quota for Kenyan khat to accommodate the Ethiopian cargo.
"We have been limited to supplying 19 tonnes a day as opposed to our previous capacity of up to 50 tonnes. This is very unfair," he said.
“Ethiopians should compete openly and fairly with us. Miraa trade with Somalia is deliberately protected by a bilateral agreement. The claim by Ethiopia that we have monopolised the market is not true because the trade is guided by market forces,” Mr Munjuri said.
He asked the government to reconsider reopening the Somalia border to lower the cost of delivering miraa.
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