NAIROBI, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has ordered all its exporters of beans and peas in pods to ensure their farms are certified according to recommended international standards by Nov. 1 as it seeks to curb incidences of exceedance of pesticide residue levels in export produce.
Benjamin Tito, the director of Horticulture Crops Directorate (HCD), said in a statement released in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Wednesday that the move follows increased interception of Kenya's legumes in the European Union market due to high pesticide residue levels.
"Kenya may face stricter import measures if the trend continues which will negatively impact the strides made in the horticulture sector," said Tito.
As a corrective measure, Tito said, all exporters of the two products would be required to have their farms certified according to acceptable standards.
To comply with set standards, all exporters would be required to belong to recognized industry associations to enhance self-checks.
Alongside the beans and peas in pods, other horticulture produces Kenya exports are fruits like avocados and mangoes, and vegetables.
Horticulture is one of Kenya's top sources of foreign income alongside tea and tourism.
According to the HCD, horticulture earnings in 2021 rose to 1.33 billion U.S. dollars from 1.26 billion dollars in 2020.
