Money Markets
By JOHN GACHIRI, jgachiri@ke.nationmedia.com
In Summary
- The grain industry umbrella group said the project will enable smallholder farmers in the region export beans, chickpeas, cowpeas, lentils, lupins, pigeon peas vegetables and other pulses to India.
- Under the Supporting India Trade and Investments with Africa (Sita) programme, Kenyan farmers will get financial and technical support as well as reduction of tariff barriers over a three-year period.
- EAGC and the Indian government are still in discussion on how much financial assistance will be given.
The East Africa Grain Council (EAGC) will help
small-scale farmers access India’s Sh400 billion pulses market. EAGC has
said New Delhi is looking to import about four million metric tonnes of
pulses yearly to meet the rising demand.
The grain industry umbrella group said the project will
enable smallholder farmers in the region export beans, chickpeas,
cowpeas, lentils, lupins, pigeon peas vegetables and other pulses to
India.
Under the Supporting India Trade and Investments
with Africa (Sita) programme, Kenyan farmers will get financial and
technical support as well as reduction of tariff barriers over a
three-year period.
“Through the Sita programme, EAGC members in
Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, who include grain and pulses producers,
traders and processors, will be supported to produce and export to
India,” said the lobby.
EAGC and the Indian government are still in discussion on how much financial assistance will be given.
The lobby and the International Trade Centre are
implementing the project. The growing Indian population, made up mostly
of vegetarians, has created strong demand for pulses which cannot be met
by local farmers.
“India is the biggest producer, consumer and
importer of pulses in the world. Pulses are the major source of protein
for vegetarian Indians, and protein content in most of the pulses is
more than one-fifth by their weight,” said Indian High Commissioner to
Kenya Yogeshwar Varma.
The EAGC said that regional farmers will have
easier access to the lucrative market than Kenyans due to lower tariff
barriers. “Tanzania and Uganda have duty-free access to India that Kenya
does not have,” said the EAGC in a statement.
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