Miraa producers want to be allowed to export the stimulant to China after it was banned

The Nyambene Miraa Traders
Association said the matter should
be on Kenya’s agenda during the
visit by Chinese Prime Minister Li
Keqiang.
The traders said the government
had not fulfilled its promise of
ensuring the produce was allowed
in to China. The traders’
spokesperson, Mr Kimathi Munjuri,
said they had met and agreed that
the matter should be discussed
during Mr Li’s visit, which began
on Friday.
“China is the hub of herbal
medicine and miraa has many
medicinal values,” said Mr
Munjuri.
Having lost the battle to stop the
ban in Britain, they turned to
China with hopes that its huge
population would become the next
market for the Kenyan produce, he
said.
However, attempts to have the
Kenyan embassy in Beijing and the
Chinese embassy in Nairobi to help
open the market for the stimulant
had not borne fruits five years
since a request was made, he said.
The two embassies also failed to
help clear a contradiction on the
stimulant as only khat from
Ethiopia was allowed in China
while that from Kenya was
considered a hard drug, he
claimed.


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