How much is khat worth

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. All rights reserved About Us. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. During a brief ban on khat trade in Somalia, Kenyan farmers lost millions of dollars.

A Somali trader takes khat, a mild narcotic drug meant for exports to Somalia, out of bags, 21 June at the small Wilson airport in Nairobi. Kenya has imposed a ban on all flights from the country into war-wracked neighboring Somalia, sources at Nairobi Airport's control tower said 21 June. Kenya has in the past accused Somalia, which has not had a recognised government since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown in January , of being responsible for the infiltration of arms into the country.

September 14, , PM. Tags: Kenya , Somalia. November 12, , AM. November 11, , PM. Trending 1. Khat is imported to London and sold at greengrocers and market stalls in areas such as East London. It is strongest when the fresh leaves are chewed but can also be made into a tea or chewable paste.

Khat is a stimulant drug containing two cathinone like compounds and has effects similar to mild amphetamine. Chewing it produces a mild euphoria and makes people feel more alert and talkative. As with amphetamine, khat suppresses the appetite.

Users also describe an ensuing calming effect being blissed out when the drug is used over a few hours. Flights carrying the mild stimulant khat have been banned from entering Somalia, leaving chewers of the leaves in a stew, write the BBC's Mary Harper and Bella Hassan.

In normal times, around midday, when the bunches of fresh leaves arrive in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, by plane from Kenya, men disappear from view, lounging in khat kiosks or chewing at home. The leaf, also known as miraa, acts as a stimulant, sending users into a frenzy of excited chatter.

Business deals are made and broken, tired fighters are kept awake. In March, the government of Somalia banned international flights, including khat planes, as part of its efforts to contain coronavirus.

When it imposed a lockdown, it forbade people from gathering together to chew their beloved leaves as this would break social distancing rules. Officials warned that because khat is picked by hand it could help spread Covid But the stimulant is still finding its way into the country. Some comes in by road from Ethiopia. Some is transported by boat from Kenya, where many khat growers and traders say they have lost their livelihoods.

The situation is especially grave in central Meru county, the heartland of khat farming in Kenya. About half-a-million farmers cultivate the stimulant in the Horn of Africa; many will be hit hard by the ban. Although most khat sellers in Somalia have nothing to trade, a few crafty dealers have hit a goldmine.

This ban has been very good for us. Flowering shrub native to East Africa and Arabian Peninsula.