The Ministry of Agriculture has doubled miraa prices in a revised schedule by the Pricing Formula Committee, setting Grade 1 at Sh1,300 per kilogram and Grade 2 at Sh700 per kilogram.

The committee, in executing its duties, reviews production data, costs, supply, and demand, among other parameters, to advise the sub-sector.

“Therefore, the new negotiated price is Sh1,300, Sh700, and Sh1,000 for Grade 1, Grade 2, and Alele, respectively. These prices take effect immediately,” Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said on Saturday.

He added that the government will continue to address market access challenges to expand export opportunities in both existing and new markets.

This follows the Ministry of Agriculture’s formation of a Pricing Committee on Miraa in October 2024 under the Crops Act 2013. The move came amid a backdrop of muguka bans at the coast.

Kilifi and Mombasa counties had announced a 10-day transformative activism campaign against muguka.

The campaign aimed to support the proposed Amendment Bill 2024 introduced by Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, which seeks to remove miraa and muguka from the list of scheduled crops.

The Pricing Committee is tasked with stabilizing miraa and muguka prices, ensuring that farmers who have suffered from low returns can see better profits.

The government has committed Sh500 million in the 2024/25 financial year for the value addition of miraa/khat.