The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Spain, and Saudi Arabia have emerged as potential export markets for Kenya’s horticulture, offering the country an opportunity to reduce reliance on select markets, mainly in Europe.
The latest quarterly update by the Food and Agriculture Authority (AFA) classifies the three countries as well as Kazakhstan as a significant tier of export market for Kenyan horticulture producers in the window between July and September 2025.
The UAE bought Sh2.52 billion in Kenya’s horticulture, followed by Spain (Sh1.3billion), Saudi Arabia (Sh1.25 billion), and Kazakhstan (Sh1.08 billion).
“This tier demonstrates a successful diversification into the Middle East and Central Asia, though the individual value of each remains substantially lower than that of the top European partners,” the regulator said.
In the quarter to September 2025, Kenya’s horticulture also found buyers in a wide range of smaller-volume destinations, including Italy, Mexico, the United States, and Australia, each contributing between one percent and three percent of the total value.
“While individually these markets represent smaller shares, collectively they form a crucial component of a diversified export strategy, mitigating over-reliance on any single region,” AFA said.
The total export value of Kenya’s horticulture for the three months to September 2025 amounted to Sh31.30 billion from 94,929.16 tonnes of goods.
The Netherlands stood as the dominant export market for Kenya, accounting for 35.13 percent of the total export value.
With exports valued at Sh10.99 billion, this single destination commanded more than a third of the total earnings, far surpassing the second-largest market, the United Kingdom (Sh4.46 billion).
“Together with Germany (Sh1,995.69 million) and France (Sh2,462.24 million ), these four European nations collectively represent nearly two-thirds of the total export value for the quarter, illustrating a significant geographic concentration,” AFA said.
