Chinese pesticides boost Kenya’s agricultural sector

Published: October 07,2023

Chinese pesticides, accounting for more than half of Kenya’s market share, are playing a significant role in boosting the country’s agricultural sector, the regulatory body said Wednesday.

China’s technology in pest control products has reached the level of advanced countries and, in some cases, even surpassed them, said Fredrick Muchiri, the acting CEO of the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), a statutory organization of the Kenyan government.

“In terms of quality, efficacy and safety, they meet the international standards prescribed for pest control products and have more economic value,” Muchiri said during a stakeholder’s forum on plant protection held in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

Muchiri said earlier this year, a team of PCPB officials visited China to observe the manufacturing and control processes of pest control firms in the Asian country, and they found that these firms met international standards. He noted that commercial farmers in Kenya heavily rely on pesticides to increase crop production per unit area and achieve better returns on their investments.

Joel Mutai, regulatory and liaison manager for the Agrochemical Association, which is the umbrella organization for manufacturers and importers of pesticides in Kenya, said the entry of Chinese pesticides into the Kenyan market has had a positive impact on the country’s food security. He said the Chinese products are more affordable for small-scale farmers in Kenya who rely on them to boost their harvests.

Mutai pointed out that the standards and quality of pesticides from China meet the specifications required by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, noting that there have been no reported complaints about Chinese pesticides during post-surveillance quality checks in the country.

Xinhua