Boost of horticulture farmers as state seeks new market in Qatar

The government has moved to seek a new market for Kenya’s horticulture products in Qatar in a bid to increase export earnings for the country.

Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi is leading Kenya’s delegation to the Asian nation to exploit the trade opportunities there.

The CS said that Qatar is a potential market for Kenyan horticulture exports.

Linturi has assured Kenyan horticultural sector players that his ministry is keen to help entrepreneurs expand their export market in the Asian market, especially in Qatar.

Speaking in Doha during the International Horticultural Expo 2023, Linturi said his Ministry is determined to improve Kenya’s horticulture export earnings.

“In line with President William Ruto’s Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (Beta), we are seeking to create new market opportunities for our farmers,” the CS said.

“We must invest in agriculture because it’s key to Kenya's economy, contributing 33 per cent of the GDP and the sector employs more than 40 per cent of the total population and more than 70 per cent of Kenya's rural people,” he added.

The mega international horticulture event, the biggest of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, is held under the theme “Green Desert, Better Environment”.

The horticulture Expo is also the first to ever take place in an area with a dry climate.

The Cabinet Secretary also attended a bilateral meeting with investors from Qatar who are keen to invest in Kenya’s horticultural sector.

“We want investors from Qatar to take advantage of the opportunities available in the Kenyan horticultural sector to boost sales of perishable goods into the Qatar market,’ the CS said.

Meanwhile, Linturi has further appealed to the Qatar government to lift the ban on the import of livestock and meat products from Kenya in a bid to boost the local meat industry.

In October 2021, Middle Eastern countries lifted a ban on Kenya’s meat following the containment of the Rift Valley Fever disease that led to restrictions. However, Qatar is yet to lift the ban.

Linturi was accompanied by the Kenyan Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Boniface Nduva Mwilu.

The envoy appealed to Kenyan entrepreneurs to explore the trade opportunities in Qatar to boost Kenya’s export earnings.

“There exists enormous trade opportunities in Qatar especially for horticulture products because of the harsh climatic conditions in Asia which doesn’t support the horticultural sector,” Mwilu said.

Horticulture earnings grew by 6.4 per cent to Sh8.7 billion in the 11 months to November compared to the corresponding period last year, attributed to higher demand for Kenyan produce in the world market.

The total value of Kenya’s horticultural produce exported in 2021 from January to November rose from Sh136.7 billion in 2020 to Sh145.4 billion in 2021 representing a six per cent increase.

The total volume of exports increased by 85 million kilos, representing a 30 per cent rise that was attributed to increased demand, especially flowers and vegetables.

Currently, the majority of fresh produce exports from Kenya are sold in the European Union, United States and Middle East markets.

The International Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha officially launched on Monday at the all-green Al Bidda Park in Doha and it’s expected to run for six months until March 2024.

The event’s inauguration ceremony took place with the attendance of Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as well as a number of world leaders and top diplomats from across the world.

“Today, Qatar is honoured yet again to host a global event in line with Qatar’s commitments towards sustainable development, domestically and internationally, and constitutes a qualitative addition to the various initiatives adopted by Qatar to ensure a safer and more stable future for the people of the earth,” Sheikh Mohammed said.