Efficient Movement of Fresh Produce Across The EAC

FPEAK is implementing a GIZ funded project on Establishment of green channels at weighbridges and border points to facilitate movement of fresh produce across the EAC. Presently, clearing of trucks ferrying fresh produce at the border points and weighbridges across the country is done on a first come, first serve basis. This means that a truck carrying horticultural produce will queue behind a truck carrying goods that are not perishable like ballast, metal, iron sheets, cement, timber, among others.
This in turn shortens the shelf life of the horticultural produce and increases the time spent on the road, generally increasing the cost of doing business. By setting up a green channel in the One Stop Border Points in the region and the weighbridges across the country, trucks carrying horticultural produce will spend less time on transit, reduce the post-harvest losses incurred and also reduce the cost of doing business. Traders of fresh produce will increase their margins because of the shorter turnaround time.
Therefore, the project looks to have a “green channel” at Namanga and Oloitokitok border points and the weighbridges across Kenya. The green channel will ease trade facilitation between the two countries and ensure
that fresh produce will be treated with the sense of urgency that it deserves.
If the proposed interventions will be successful, the same would be replicated at border points between Kenya and Tanzania, Uganda and
Tanzania, and Kenya and Uganda.