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From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.

Kenyan farmers say a British ban on the plant known as khat will seriously affect their business and economy. Exports of khat, also called "miraa" are worth big money to Kenya. The farmers have exported the plant mainly to Britain, other European countries and Somalia.

Khat is growing in the colder climates of central Kenya. For years, people have been using it as a drug, biting on the leaves of the plant, can increase the heart beat and make the person feel more awake.

Some Kenyan politicians and khat traders have called on the government to open talks with British officials to convince them to cancel the ban on khat. They say ending the ban would save Kenya's khat industry from collapse.

Kipkorir Menjo is the director of the Kenya Farmers Association, he says the ban will affect tens of thousands of people.

"The miraa industry is going to face a serious challenge because they are people in the supply chain, the farmers who are planting the crop, fellows who have been distributing, fellows who have been exporting. The whole industry is likely to collapse because this is a major market which has been earning this people good money, of course also earning the country foreign exchange."

Earlier this month, British Home Secretary Theresa May banned the leafy stimulant. She warned that traders could use Britain to move khat illegally to other European countries.

Jephat Muroko is the head of the Global Miraa Industry Dealers Network, he says the British's decision was made for political reasons.

"To me it's a pure politics, and not only politics but also oppressive to the miraa industry traders. I think it's part of the consequences. But I wonder about our government, why it's quiet about this thing."

Khat is already banned in most European countries, including France, Germany, and Netherlands. Kenyan traders exported about 20 tons of khat to the Netherlands weekly before the ban. Another 36 tons a week were sent to Britain.

Kipkorir Menjo says khat farmers and traders need to start speaking up, so that Britain can lift the ban. If their efforts fail, he says, they will have to start planting other crops to earn money.

"If there will be no headway then they will have to think for other options, but I think for now I don't want to conclude that nobody will listen to them. Hopefully they will get some way out, but if it's not possible they will have to think some other ways of getting their livelihood."

As the farmers and traders study the latest development from Europe, another battle awaits them inside Kenya: The National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse is urging the government to list khat as an illegal drug.

And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English. You can learn more news about the dispute and other agricultural issues at the voalearningenglish website. You can also find videos of our reports at the voalearningenglish channel on Youtube. I'm Milagros Ardin.

译文属可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载

词汇解释

1.stimulant n. [药] 兴奋剂；刺激物；酒精饮料

Musk is used for perfumes and stimulant.
麝香被用作香料和兴奋剂s%6cP~*7t(e|tD[。

2.oppressive adj. 压迫的；沉重的；压制性的；难以忍受的

The new laws will be just as oppressive as those they replace.
新法律将跟被它所取代的那些法律一样不公正WybH_.=oKRVd*jkV。

3.headway n. 前进；进步；航行速度；间隔时间

His research in cancer that spanned 15 years has made considerable headway in the end.
他对癌症持续15年的研究终于取得了极大的进展ou|;S1wsEfM)。

参考译文

这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道fV]aI!@SJ[W%f。

肯尼亚农民称，英国对一种名为阿拉伯茶的植物的禁令将严重影响其营生和经济BNN2[LvxaW#x。阿拉伯茶也叫米拉茶，这种作物的出口给肯尼亚带来大笔财富75YWS*~xDiG6y。农民们主要将作物出口到英国、其他欧洲国家和索马里&1;FHuap&j[。

阿拉伯茶生长在肯尼亚中部的寒冷气候中，多年来人们一直把它当做药物，咀嚼植物叶子可以使心跳加快，并使人感到更清醒7UB]wQDr+GYa0um3I。

一些肯尼亚政客和阿拉伯茶商人开始呼吁政府与英国官方进行谈判，说服他们取消对阿拉伯茶的禁令P)*H7;maAUEONl-.6。他们称结束该禁令将使肯尼亚的阿拉伯茶产业免于崩溃Ha~a8YJu6jDo1xo|JSmB。

Kipkorir Menjo是肯尼亚农民协会主任，他说该禁令将影响成千上万人4(7hLm*rfw^。

“米拉茶产业将面临严峻挑战，因为这些人都在供应链上，包括种植这种作物的农民，负责流通和出口的人~a8MJZ+~Vj=DZ9RE5&t。整个行业可能崩溃，因为这一直是个能挣大钱的重要市场，当然还能为国家赚得外汇gr&0.NL6g=a。”

本月早些时候，英国内务部长特雷莎·梅禁止这种叶类兴奋剂，她警告说，贸易商可能利用英国将米拉茶非法售往欧洲其他国家&-uf;Nfp!@u|2tg。

Jephat Muroko是全球米拉茶行业经销商网络负责人，他说英国是出于政治原因做的这一决定RgO#EDvk;zb。

“对我来说这纯粹是政治问题，不仅是政治，还是对米拉茶行业经销商的压制V*Ua=VS3Y5KVV。我想这是部分后果，但我不知道为何我们的政府对此保持沉默I%p6+XS;U+LLcJ-!。”

米拉茶已在大多数欧洲国家遭禁，包括法国、德国和荷兰Sf=rU+9gTzWG&5g=&F。在禁令实施之前，肯尼亚经销商每周向荷兰出口大约20吨的米拉茶，另外36吨每周售往英国cMM]L@]JN[L#a9+T+(-。

Kipkorir Menjo说，米拉茶农民和经销商需要为自己辩护，这样英国就可能取消禁令Z0t^HETwMji1j[i]@7R,。他说，如果辩护失败，他们将不得不种植其他作物来挣钱1)^N5-fpivoL。

“如果无法取得进展，他们只得考虑其他出路，但我想目前我不想认定没人会听他们的意见Rp9yS53O-EMSO2w))。希望他们找到解决办法，但如果不能，他们只能考虑种植其他作物来营生LK8r|p6jyq,。”

在农民们和经销商研究欧洲的最新态势之时，肯尼亚国内又有一场斗争在等着他们ImfY#hykr.^_。肯尼亚酒精和药物滥用主管部门正敦促政府将米拉茶列为非法药物)9D,Tr^fdZ|K9_mgK。

这就是美国之音慢速英语农业报道，你可登陆voalearningenglish获取更多农业报道，还可以在Youtube的美国之音慢速英语频道找到视频报道，我是Milagros Ardin2|;QrdwPfb@]H^yqT。

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