Kenyan manufacturers Monday commended the Tanzania Burea u of Standards (TBS) for finally recognizing the high standard of Kenyan-made go o ds, which allows them to trade in the local market without encumbrances.
A directive by the TBS to the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA) urging it to accept goods originating from EAC partner states bearing marks of quality wi t hout further testing has been welcomed by Kenya business community, which has in
the past complained about Dar es Salaam’s perceived use of non-tariff barriers t o bar goods originating in EAC from trading in its market.
In its latest bulletin, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers said, “The direct ive followed a KAM protest letter to the EAC secretariat through the Kenya Bureau of Standards about the issuance of double q uality tests.
“KAM had received numerous complaints from members about TFDA’s failure to recog nize Kenya’s Standardization Marks on products exported into the United Republic of Tanzania. TFDA has been demanding further quality testing on goods entering Tanzania from Kenya.”
Kenyan and Tanzanian traders are locked in bitter disputes over non-tariff barri ers, which they complain have reduced the volume of trade between the two countries.
Kenya tops the list of countries with foreign investments in Tanzania, ahead of the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa.
