Horticultural farmers in Taita Taveta are pushing for unrestricted access to Tanzania markets to make the East African Community integration a reality.
Taveta small-scale farmers association spokesperson Mike Banton said although the East African Community (EAC) common market protocol paved way for free movement of persons, goods, services and labour, it is favouring other citizens coming into Kenya.
‘‘It is important for our government to take up this matter in the EAC legislative assembly and ensure that the laws governing the integration are applied uniformly,’’ he said. Farmers from Taveta say they face many hurdles in accessing Arusha and Moshi markets.
Mr Banton said produce like tomatoes are rotting in farms following a bumper harvest. Taveta, a food basket of the Coastal region, suffers heavy losses due to the poor roads leading to the main market in Mombasa.
The African Development Bank has released Sh10 billion for the upgrading of the road from Mwatate to Arusha by December 2018, a move that will enable farmers easily transport their produce to markets. The farmers said that they had high hopes of venturing into Tanzanian market, but now face economic barriers.
Kenya and Tanzania last year issued a common communique that allowed Kenyans a free movement of a radius of 20 kilometres into Tanzania while any distance further would be guided by international travel rules.
The farmers concerns come at a time that Kenyan manufacturers are fighting to save the Sh114 billion regional export business as Ugandan and Tanzania increasingly charge full duty on imports from Kenya.
Protectionist measures
The arbitrary protectionist measures are undermining the East African Common Market forcing the Kenya Association of Manufacturers to seek an urgent meeting with the Treasury and the Trade ministry.
Kenyan entrepreneurs have linked the decline in trade with EAC member states to persistent market access wars.
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