Miraa farmers in Meru have protested against charges levied by the Mombasa county government saying it was punitive.
Currently, they are paying Sh50,000 for a lorry loaded with khat up from Sh20,000, a fee they said is unsustainable citing hard economic times and low volumes of the produce harvested.
Mr Moses Lichoro, chairman of the Miraa Growers and Traders Cooperative Union, said more than 250,000 farmers in miraa growing areas across the county were suffering due to the charges he said were “unreasonable”.
“The levy is hurting our business because at times volumes are low. Charging this amount will kick us out of business,” Mr Lichoro said.
He said this is one of the charges that was hindering growth of the sector, adding that people were introducing various levies on the crop which was illegal.
Mr Lichoro cited charges at the $4.5 (Sh540) per kilo at Wilson airport for export of khat to Somalia, saying such charges had made the product uncompetitive in the market.
“Miraa was recognized as a crop by the Agriculture ministry and allocated funds to revive the sector. These arbitrary charges being introduced are rolling back gains accrued over the past two years which would greatly have benefited farmers,” he said.
During campaigns, former Mombasa governor Hassan Joho waived the fees in a move to sway the electorate in Igembe, where Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has a huge following.
“We know the waiver was for political motives but why have they increased the charges by more than 100 per cent? It is unfair and we want this matter addressed urgently,” Mr Lichoro added.
Nyambene Miraa Traders Association (Nyamita) had warned that some counties were unfairly taxing miraa, which risked farmers’ earnings.
“Miraa is now a crop just like coffee and tea since it is funded by the Treasury and farmers should not be penalized,” Nyamita chairman Mr Kimathi Munjuri said in an earlier interview.
