Kenya is the 2nd largest exporter of flowers in the World and the 2nd largest supplier of vegetables to the EEC. Horticultural products now account for more of our agricultural exports than coffee and only second to tea. The industry employs over 135,000. See more here and there.
Watching the BBC the other day it occurred to me that Kenyans could find that they are no longer able to export agricultural produce to the EEC and other western markets. The multi-pronged attack on our horticulture exports is being done by three seperate but powerful lobby groups. The environment green team who have now coined the carbon footprint to signify the environmental impact of human activity. In the case of horticulture produce, they are saying that transporting this produce from Kenya by air has a serious and detrimental impact on environment. 
Then there is the Soil Association which has just sent out a consulting document arguing that Kenya's fresh greenbeans among others should not be classified as organic because the length and distance over which they are transported means they can't be organic. Organic produce is any produce that is grown by natural means i.e. sans fertiliser or modification and such earn a premium price because is seen as being more healthy.The final lobby group are the UK farmers who are saying that these produces can be grown in the UK and hence supermarkets should be promoting UK grown over the foreign export. Never mind that the reason the UK produce is to do with higher production costs.
Then there is the Soil Association which has just sent out a consulting document arguing that Kenya's fresh greenbeans among others should not be classified as organic because the length and distance over which they are transported means they can't be organic. Organic produce is any produce that is grown by natural means i.e. sans fertiliser or modification and such earn a premium price because is seen as being more healthy.The final lobby group are the UK farmers who are saying that these produces can be grown in the UK and hence supermarkets should be promoting UK grown over the foreign export. Never mind that the reason the UK produce is to do with higher production costs.The question is who is fighting the corner for our produce? Not our ambassador Muchemi who I have never seen being interviewed when Kenya has featured. The only lobby group that seem to be doing anything are anti-poverty NGOs like Oxfam, who correctly argue that if the issue is reduction of CO2 emulsions, putting a light bulb off saves more than foregoing fresh greenbeans from Kenya and is in any case counterproductive as it has impact on poverty reduction mechanisms. In the absence of effective politicians, lobbyists and the media have now become the drivers of change in countries like the UK, US and some of their EU brethren. Isn't it time for Kenya/Africa to create a lobby group that will fight our interests in western capitals?
2 comments:
Europeans have become crazy about the environment. Seriously. Do they want us to go back to the stone age?
Even BA is now selling carbon footprint offset to its travellers. I mean, why don't they fly their planes on water or solar energy?
Yes, I care for the environment but this is now too much tree hugging business.
Ssem, the environment is an issue and whats more, it can be dealt with without going back to the stone age. Think of electricity generation-what is its most naturally occuring source-the sun. And yet, we are busy sending peeps to moon and can't be bothered developing ways of utilising the sun.
The other issue, is who shoulders the burden-the west has contributed most of the C2O gases and shopuld hence sholder most of the burden.
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