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Front Page For KIA cargo is the limit, not the skyby Arusha times Reporter The sky is not the limit for the only air freight carrier, which recently started to operate from Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA). Inadequate load seems to be the stumbling block. The UK- based, MK Airways Freight, was recently introduced in the region by the Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO) as effort to assist local horticultural farmers to export their products at much cheaper rates. Previously, farmers especially those dealing with fresh flowers used to export their produce using the usual scheduled passenger flights, whose rates of goods transportation are much higher by comparison. According to the Managing Director of KADCO, Godfrey Mbakilwa, scheduled flights charge cargo goods at US$ 2 or more per kilo, while MK Airways Freight rates are sat US 1.5 a kilo. Some farmers and horticultural produce dealers were exporting their products via Nairobi, Kenya, as means to keep transport costs low, but the MK freight carrier, which started to operate on the 1st of August, this year was guaranteed to alleviate that problem. However, MK Airways, had given KADCO a conditionality to ensure availability of a minimum of 40 tonnes per flight, a goal which is proving to be difficult to meet. "The freight plane comes once a week, but so far we have managed an average of only 8 tonnes of cargo," said Mbakilwa, adding that his company KADCO to give MK Airways discounts on landing fees, in order to sustain the freight services at the Kilimanjaro Airport. "Farmers have assured us that, this is not the season for horticultural products, but as soon as the season booms, business will pick up and therefore guarantee us more tonnage of cargo for export," said the KADCO Managing Director. Mbakilwa pointed out however that there is another problem of some Arusha- based, commercial farmers who are alleged to be having personal interests in the exportation of produce via Nairobi. He appealed to the government to assist the efforts, saying the freight carrier was meant to be a saviour for local exporters adding that, KADCO doesn’t even gain anything from the arrangement.
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