MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia has denied lifting ban on the sale of Miraa Khat from Kenya, a day after the country’s Minister of Finance told traders to take import licenses in order to be able to legally bring the commodity to Mogadishu.
Somali Minister of Finance Abdirahman Baile speaking to media on Tuesday denied reports by media that his government lifted ban on Khat from Kenya, saying that remarks he made on Monday – calling on traders to obtain licenses for importing the commodity – were largely misunderstood.
Mr Baile noted that he was referring to the Ethiopian Khat imported via Hargeisa, the capital of the break-away state of Somaliland.
Somalia imposed ban on Kenyan Miraa imports last year when relations between the two countries reached the lowest point in decades. The Finance Minister told media that the ban was still in place.
Abdirahman Baile believes that providing traders with licenses would prevent monopoly, giving businesspeople an opportunity to sell their commodity in a perfectly competitive market.
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