Pepper exporters suffer setback as stubborn pest infests crop
A lady harvests pepper at a farm in Eldoret. Exporters of the produce have suffered a huge setback following the escalation of False Colding Moth pest attacks on the crop. FILE PHOTO | NMG
What you need to know:
- Out of that number, capsicum was stopped 21 times due to FCM, nine interceptions involved ocimum (great basil) due to leaf miners, while luffa cucumbers were stopped five times over fruit flies.
- FCM is not a new pest in the Sub-Sahara Africa or Kenya. It was common in countries like South Africa where it was notorious for attacking citrus fruits.
- The South African government however came up with a number of interventions to mitigate the pest that included investment on proper research and technologies.
Kenya’s pepper exporters have suffered a huge setback following the escalation of False Colding Moth pest attack, which has forced the European Union market to impose tough regulations on the produce of chilli and other crop crops affected by the notorious pest.
The False Colding Moth, which is known to attack pepper and citrus fruits, became a notifiable pest in the EU and UK markets from January.
This has led to imposition of stringent export regulations for all chilli and capsicum exports from Kenya. Now, the fresh farm produce must first be certified to have been produced in the pest-free zone before they are allowed to into EU market shelves.
Last year, 17 out of 29 interceptions made by the EU market involved capsicum due to the moth, according to Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA), the industry regulator.
HCDA reports further show that between April 2016 and May 2017, Kenya’s exports suffered a total of 46 such interceptions.
Out of that number, capsicum was stopped 21 times due to FCM, nine interceptions involved ocimum (great basil) due to leaf miners, while luffa cucumbers were stopped five times over fruit flies.
Erick Ogumo, a food safety expert and the chairman of Society of Crop Agribusiness Advisers of Kenya (SOCAA), notes that the situation now calls for government intervention in terms of research and development of farmers’ capacity to tackle the rising pest.
“FCM is not a new pest in the Sub-Sahara Africa or Kenya. It was common in countries like South Africa where it was notorious for attacking citrus fruits. The South African government however came up with a number of interventions to mitigate the pest that included investment on proper research and technologies. In Kenya, however, farmers have been left on their own as the government through Kenya Plant health inspectorate Service mainly focuses on policing,” Ogumo noted.
It is not possible to police where there is no knowledge and technology, he added.
The SOCCA chair fears that Kenya could lose the lucrative EU market due to lack of capacity amongst local farmers to comply with strict requirements.
Besides pepper, the pest is also known to attack avocados, beans, coffee, cotton, grapes, macadamias, maize, tomatoes and flowers.
