Last week I was in Nairobi for IFTEX. During the week of the trade fair, we at Xpol hold our annual meetings with our main partner growers. We look back on the past year, discuss the agreed KPIs for both the growers and us, but we also take the time to talk about the opportunities and challenges ahead.
During these talks, the Crop Protection Covenant also came up, as did the discussion, both in the market and in the media, about the use of products outside the EU that are not permitted within the EU. Most growers indicate that, officially, there are indeed differences between the products that can be used in Kenya and those that can be used in Europe. However, this does not mean that these products are also used on a large scale.
What struck me most during these discussions was that many growers are in fact strongly committed to producing as naturally as possible. Examples include the use of compost, biological pest control, natural enemies and well-sealed greenhouses to keep unwanted insects out. This development has been underway for years and is being taken ever further.
