By George Munene

Pakistan High Commissioner to Kenya Saqlain Syedah has urged Ministry of Agriculture officials to hasten approval of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed upon by the two countries which will allow Kenyan farmers to ship mangoes to the Pakistani market.

The South Asian nation he said has a ready market that would be willing to absorb Kenyan mangoes throughout the year.

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“We only have three months of mango production in Pakistan, Kenya can supply us throughout the year and this can be done as soon as the Department of Agriculture approves the MoU,” explained Syedah.

This trade opportunity would come in handy for Kenyan mango farmers who have had difficulty in accessing European markets due to high cases of fruit flies. 

"Two MoUs on plant protection that started in 2016 on mango and citrus exports to Pakistan were finalised and are ready for signing if Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture is in concurrence," added The High Commissioner.

Trade between Kenya and Pakistan has been growing, from Sh31 billion in 2008 to Sh77.5 billion in 2020.