Kenya’s horticulture exports fell 10.9 percent to Sh122.2 billion in the 10 months ended October 2024, weighed down by a sharp reduction in sales of vegetables.
Analysis of the data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that horticultural exports in the review period declined from Sh137.2 billion a year earlier.
Vegetable exports, which fell by more than half from 192,053 tonnes in 2023 to 80,141 tonnes in the 10 months, dragged down the overall performance of the overseas sales of cut flowers and fruits.
The sharp decline in vegetable export numbers resulted in a drop in the value to Sh22.17 billion from Sh44.8 billion in the year before.
The quantity of fruits exported also fell in the period under review by a fifth from 182,883 tonnes in 2023 to 151,770 tonnes.
Despite the decline, the value of fruit exported marginally changed from Sh31.6 billion to Sh31.8 billion in 2024 implying a rise in the pricing to accommodate the low quantities.
Fruit production is seasonal, with KNBS data showing that output peaks between April and August.
Cut flowers were the only horticulture exports that registered increased sales in the review period despite a drop in the quantities exported signaling higher prices per tonne.
In the 10 months under review, there were 83,694 tonnes of cut flowers exported from Kenyan farms from 98,822 tonnes a year before. These were valued at Sh68.1 billion from Sh60.8 billion.
Most of Kenya's flowers are sold to the Netherlands (about 70 percent), followed by the United Kingdom. Other significant markets are Germany, Italy and France.
Horticulture is among Kenya's top exports and foreign exchange earners, creating thousands of jobs in the agricultural sector.
The bulk of Kenya's horticultural exports are paid in euros, resulting in lower earnings when the shilling strengthens against hard currencies.
Demand for vegetables in Europe has grown over the years, attracting more companies and individual farmers to venture into production despite various challenges facing farmers including shelf life constraints and perishability, regulatory issues and tariffs.
European nations are the top buyers of Kenya's vegetables, with the fresh produce going mostly to France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Some of the vegetables that Kenya exports are lentils, parsley, avocado, lemongrass, peas and coriander.
Kenya is among the leading suppliers of organic avocados in Europe.
