ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Commerce has approached Kenyan authorities for speedy clearance of Pakistani rice containers at its port.

In a statement issued on Monday, Commerce Division spokesperson Muhammad Ashraf said that no shipment from Pakistan has been held up at the Kenyan port for failing to meet the food safety standards of Kenya.

Sharing details, he said Pakistan’s High Commission in Kenya has approached relevant Kenyan authorities in this regard. The authorities clarified that no Pakistan-specific inspections were being conducted on rice shipments. The authorities further assured that the situation is temporary and normalcy will resume after risk profiling is completed in few weeks.

The clarification came from the Commerce Division following local news reports that 600 rice containers from Pakistan were held up at a Kenyan port.

However, is true that the clearance of shipments of many food products – including sugar, edible oil and rice – at the Kenyan ports have recently slowed down after a few shipments of food items supplied from other countries did not meet the health and safety standards, the spokesperson added.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2018