Zambia: Shipped its Maiden Consignment of Citrus Fruits to Kenya granted by the Kenyan Plant Health Inspectorate Service

By Abdul Rahman Bangura-

NEW AFRICA DAILY NEWS (NADN) Freetown, Sierra Leone– Marshalling the permission of market access through Kenyan Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the subsequent issuance of phytosanitary requirements for citrus fruits from Zambia to Kenya, sources have it that; the Ministry of Agriculture’s Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Service (PQPS) department, Sunsweet Produce Limited has shipped 25 metric tonnes of lemon fruits to Kenya as the first export to Kenya.

There are more shipments of citrus fruits to Kenya and other East African nations are desired as the harvest season progresses.

In 2023, Zambia exported citrus fruits to Rwanda, Uganda and United Arab Emirates for the first time. The Ministry of Agriculture through the Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary Service (PQPS) granted the commodity by conducting a pre-export inspection and issuance of a phytosanitary certificate to assure compliance to Kenya’s regulations.

Smallholder citrus producers who are thriving the Valencia and Naval oranges and the Eureka and Lisbon lemon varieties have an alternative to access these export markets through Sunsweet’s aggregation and processing arrangements in Mkushi.

Thus, their orchards must be compliant to export requirements to access these markets. The agriculturalists are exhorted to work closely with PQPS to guarantee that, their produce meets the export requirements.

And Sunsweet Produce Limited Chief Executive Officer – Chris Morris noted, the export is a proof of evidence of Government’s good agricultural policies that have made it possible for the export to achieve its purposes.

New Africa Daily News Abdul Rahman Bangura Reports, Africa Correspondent