Shortcuts hurting Kenya's fresh produce export reputation – CS

Kenya could lose losing its reputation in the fresh produce export markets unless producers maintain the required internationals standards, the government has cautioned.

Trade and Enterprise Development Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina said some farmers are harvesting produce before maturity, leading to intervention or recall of exports.

Some producers also spray crops a few days before they are exported, she said.

This, the CS said leads to the produce being locked out of the export markets which subsequently hurts Kenya's reputation.

She said such cases are stalling the government's efforts to secure trade deals and markets for Kenyan exports.

Last year, officers from the Agriculture Foods Authority intercepted three containers with 75 tonnes of suspected immature avocados at the Port of Mombasa.

“Sometimes we get so enthusiastic about these markets and opportunities that you go and harvest, for instance avocados, before they are ready. We spray vegetables three or four days before shipping them out. These things are going to lead to interception,” the CS said.

Key export markets such as China, the EU and US have strict sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards that must be adhered to if the country is to benefit, the CS said, calling on associations and lobby group to sensitise farmers and exporters within their respective sectors.

“Interceptions will lose you(exporters) money for now but dents the country's image and it takes so long to rebuild and get the reputation back,” the CS said, during a session with exporters and fresh produce stakeholders, in Nairobi.

Kenya is a key fresh produces exporter mainly to the UK and other European markets, with products ranging from fresh vegetables, fruits and cut flowers.

In 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Xi Jinping signed a deal allowing Kenya to export Hass avocados to China, with the government tightening phytosanitary requirements and conformity which will make more produces acceptable in China and other the international markets.

In December, the country signed an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) which has secured preferential trade and investment terms between the two countries, after UK exited the European Union on December 31, the famous Brexit.

“We are currently going through the process of ratification but the market is secured,” CS Betty said.

The country is also keen to secure a Free Trade Agreement with the US that will give Kenyan exports preferential market access, ahead of the lapse of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2025, which eliminates import tariffs on goods from eligible African nations.

Other markets the government is keen to expand in , according to the CS, includes Russia, Japan and South Korea.

“As the government continues to secure more markets, the industry must invest in compliance. We must ensure that all of us comply with the necessary standards,” the CS said.