Khat traders in Kenya have started again the export of the herbal stimulant to neighbouring Somalia after suspending it for three days due to high taxes and overpricing complaints.
Planes loaded with sacks of khat arrived in Mogadishu on Wednesday, an eyewitness confirmed.
Khat, a multi-million dollar business for countries across the Horn of Africa and in Yemen, consists of the succulent purple-stemmed leaves and shoots of a bush whose scientific name is Catha edulis.
Chewing it for hours produces a mild buzz.
One of the traders who spoke to the media said that they have been a decrease on the price following negotiations with the farmers in Kenya. But it is not clear whether the Somali government has decreased the taxes they complained of days ago.
Every day, 16 planes carrying bags loaded with khat travel from the Kenyan capital, Nairobi to Mogadishu.
Kenyan farmers generate over $100m per year for the export of khat to Somalia which large communities heavily depend on it.
Horseed Media
Khat exports to Somalia resumed as overpricing dispute ends
Published: February 18, 2015
