Alarm as plastic rice enters Kenyan market in festive season
A government agency has raised the alarm over the entry of fake rice in the market.
Tana Athi Water Services Board director Mureithi Kang’ara said unscrupulous businesspersons were sneaking plastic rice into the market, impoverishing tens of farmers growing the crop.
“Some people are bringing in fake and cheap rice and packaging it as if it is grown in Kenya, especially from Kirinyaga County irrigation schemes,” he said.
Plastic rice is sticky when cooked and has a faint chemical odour. The rice is suspected to have been smugled or illegally shipped in from China.
Last week, Nigeria seized over 100 bags of plastic rice smuggled into the country.
A suspect was arrested over the haul of the fake rice, which officials warned was dangerous for human consumption
