America set to receive more fruits and flowers

The Ministry of Agriculture plans to increase horticulture and fruit exports to the United States as it takes advantage of the Kenya Airways daily direct flight to the country.

A team comprising officials of the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) and the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) will be travelling to the US on the maiden Kenya Airways direct flight set for take-off Sunday at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The team led by Dr Esther Kimani, the managing director of Kephis, will meet the top management of the United States Department of Agriculture and other agencies that oversee agriculture and trade.

“Although we have been exporting our produce to the US, we want to increase the volumes and probably negotiate how we can start exporting those that we are not,” she told the Sunday Nation in an interview at Kephis headquarters in Karen, Nairobi.

With such an opportunity, she said, it clearly gives them a chance to push for more and build a strong rapport with the relevant authorities in the US so that the country can gain economically.

Dr Kimani, however, asked farmers to maintain the standards for export and improve the quality and quantity of their produce to avoid a ban.

Market data from the Horticulture Department indicates overall sales of horticulture produce rose from Sh216 billion in 2016 to Sh305 billion last year.

This translates to a 41 per cent increase propelled by good prices.

The total value of horticultural produce exported in 2017 increased from Sh101.5 billion in 2016 to Sh115 billion last year.

Dr Kimani confirms the figures are promising and growth could increase this year to more than 45 per cent.

Good prices and an increase in export volumes was attributed to compliance with the export market requirements by majority of exporters, especially to the European Union.

The cut-flower export still remains the largest earner, contributing over 70 per cent of the total fresh produce annual earnings.

Flower exports contributed Sh82.24 billion, up from Sh70.83 billion earned in 2016, representing 11.6 per cent growth, on export volume of 159,961 tonnes.

Fruits and vegetables earned Sh9 billion and Sh24 billion, on export volumes of 56,945 tonnes and 87,240 tonnes respectively in 2017.

Apart from rooting for the increase of horticulture and fruits, the team will also push for coffee and tea export to US.

This is part of the government’s plan to roll out a programme to market farm produce on the maiden flight.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Brand Kenya and Java House Africa will give out “Made in Kenya” hampers comprising coffee, tea, leather passport wallets, among other things, to passengers on the direct flight.