Monday August 3, 2020
MOGADISHU (HOL) - Khat traders in Kenya have decried loss of business following the latest order by Somali Government to turn back a cargo plane carrying the product headed for Puntland.
The Miraa Traders Association said Sunday the continued ban of the leafy stimulant by Somalia had occasioned them losses running into millions of dollars.
International flights in Somalia resumed today but the federal government did not lift the ban on khat.
A cargo plane carrying 11 tones of khat was ordered to return to Nairobi Sunday before it landed in Puntland.
According to the association, the plane entered the Djibouti airspace by about 10am after flying over Ethiopia and was readying to land in Puntland when it was ordered to return.
The association said the plane was carrying khat valued at $80,000. Somalia banned the importation of khat in March as part of its COVID19 response measures.
Though Somaliland and Puntland have eased khat import restrictions, the Federal Government is yet to issue a directive on lifting the order.
Kenya used to export up to 50 tones of khat valued at $2.5 million daily to Somalia prior to the ban.