In an EAC statement, Tanzania and Kenya resolve their dispute over poultry exports

The East African Community (EAC) announced in a statement on Tuesday that Tanzania and Kenya had effectively settled their long-standing disagreement over the export of chicken and poultry products between the two nations.

According to the statement, the disagreement was settled at a two-day consultative conference that concluded on Tuesday at the EAC headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania’s northern metropolis.

As the Kenyan High Commissioner to Tanzania, Rabson Wanjala, the co-chair of the conference, stated that both nations are dedicated to promoting commercial connections and that these agreements highlight the significance of cooperative efforts to guarantee enhanced trade in the region.

Tanzania is aggressively tackling trade barriers by making sure that all trade-facilitating organizations concentrate on resolving difficulties, particularly non-tariff barriers, that impede trade, according to Benezeth Lutege Malinda, acting director of veterinary services at Tanzania’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries.

“We remain committed to tackling these challenges and fostering an environment conducive to seamless trade between Kenya and Tanzania,” he stated.

To find a solution to the ban on the export of chicken and poultry products from Kenya to Tanzania, veterinary authorities from both countries convened.

According to the statement, Kenya has long been a major supplier of poultry and products connected to poultry to Tanzania, including parent stock, day-old chicks, hatching eggs, and processed poultry items.

The statement claims that Tanzania banned Kenyan chicken imports in 2021 as a result of the worldwide outbreak of highly virulent avian influenza. Kenya’s poultry business was badly damaged by the restriction, which made it more difficult to access a crucial market.