DAR MAIZE EXPORTERS SAY THEY ARE CONFORMING WITH TRADE RULES

 BY GRACE MACHA IN ARUSHA

Commodity exporters to Kenya have distanced themselves from a recent 'rogue traders' remark by a Kenyan cabinet secretary. 

They said they were bonafide traders doing business with the neighbouring country "in conformity with the set rules and regulations."

"We are not aware of any impropriety on our side from the Tanzanian traders  doing business with Kenya", said Walter Maeda, the chair of the regional  business chamber. 

He said an official of the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Trade (TCCIA) was in Namanga to follow up if there were new challenges to cross border trade. 

Mr. Maeda's remarks were echoed by exporters of maize to Kenya based in Arusha who said business paced on as usual at the busy border crossing. 

They said earlier hurdles they faced, such as the alleged contamination of the commodity by Aflatoxin, had been sorted out by the governments of the two countries. 

However, Mr. Lukas Mtenga, one of the  leading exporters  of the cereal, complained that maize buyers from the neighbouring country had gone "too far" in the deal. 

"They had started to buy maize directly from the farmers in the villages. This is not proper as it is likely to dislodge us from the business", he said on phone from Singida. 

He insisted that they had no problem with the maize traders from Kenya buying the commodity  at designated markets in Arusha, Babati or Singida. 

Mr. Mtenga, who operates from Kwa Mrombo, one of the largest maize markets in Arusha, could not  say what was being done to address the challenge. 

Early this week, a Kenya cabinet secretary for the East African Community (EAC) Adan Mohamed accused some dishonest traders for breaking the rules of cross border commerce.

The allegations were directed at the business people in Tanzania and Uganda, the main trade partners for Kenya, "for non-conformity with controls and standards governing trade". 

He said this had led to his country in intermittent trade disputes largely with Tanzania and Uganda over tariff and non-tariff rules, prompting intervention by the higher authorities.

Kenya's trade dispute with Tanzania had degenerated into a ban on maize imports from the latter over claims of Aflatoxin contamination beyond the recommended levels.

This was normalised in May this year following a state visit to Kenya  by President Samia Suluhu Hassan to Kenya where he conferred with President Uhuru Kenyatta on the issue. 

While the strained trade relations between Tanzania and Kenya appear to be largely resolved, Nairobi and Kampala are yet to resolve their dispute over the sugar. 

Early this week Uganda protested to Kenya as to why the latter had limited sugar imports from the former to 18,923 tonnes as opposed to 90,000 tonnes agreed last April. 

Contacted over the vicious trade spats, the East African Community (EAC) said it has established a special regulator to investigate and address unfair trade practices. 

The Trade Remedies Committee (TRC) will help businesses within the bloc's six member states when they have concerns over unfair trade deals from rivals outside EAC. 

"We are setting up the TRC to deal with all challenges on intra-regional trade, including the rules of origin, subsidies and anti-dumping measures", the secretary general Peter Mathuki said on Wednesday. 

According to him,the team will be in place by the end of this year and that it  will, among other things, investigate an unexpected surge of imports into the region.