By Kimuri Mwangi
Kenya is aiming to increase its horticulture exports to Italy. Currently, Italy receives 2% of the horticulture exports to Europe, and Kenya’s target is to raise this to 5%.
Kenya’s horticulture export volumes and values to Italy in the last 5 years totalled 23,217 tons valued at Kshs 10.14B ($75.8million) representing 3% of Kenya’s total EU (Kshs 375B) export value. Italy is among the top 5 export destinations, denoting 3% volume and 2% value in 2024.
According to the Director General of Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Dr. Bruno Linyiru, the tariffs are good in this area, and therefore Kenya wants to improve in terms of presence and product offering in that market.
“Hass avocado is one of the key varieties that is in good demand that we wish to improve in terms of what we are sending there. We also have other varieties, because in terms of horticulture, it’s our key foreign exchange partner, and we want to improve in terms of the varieties of products that we are offering, in terms of market access, taking advantage of the EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) that we signed, which opens market access, and this is one of the things that we are doing,” said Linyiru.
Christine Chesaro the Ag. Director of the Horticultural Crops Directorate says that we export several products to the EU in general, and to Europe in particular, with 80 percent of the exports being flowers. 30 percent are fruits, and 20 percent are vegetables.
They were speaking in Nairobi in an event where AFA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MACFRUT, an Italian Company that organises major exhibitions in Europe, especially in Italy. This year, it has organized a fruit and vegetable exhibition from the 6th to the 8th of May in Rimini Exhibition Centre in Italy.
The Director General added that they had also brought together importers from Italy and exporters from Kenya. “And therefore, it begins this conversation in terms of how the market is. We are exposing our exporters to more people from Italy who are interested in our products. Besides this, in terms of this MOU, we will be having an exhibition in Italy, where Kenya will begin to have a stand, and we will be inviting more exporters to be able to participate in this stand and showcase the products that they have in terms of horticulture and many others,” he quipped.
Exporting to a country has multiple advantages, since value addition adds more users of the product indirectly, according to the Director General. “For example, in Italy they are also taking avocado oil. This product can also be exported to other countries. So, we are looking at opening a bigger market. We also look at what you send, for example, to Belgium or Germany, in terms of crops and the value they add to the same product again. Like the avocado, when you export it in crude form, they can add value either into cooking oil or for application in terms of beauty products.”
Macfrut President Renzo Piraccini said that the MOU with AFA will help to increase the relationship with the Italian companies dedicated to fruits and vegetables in the supply chain. Macfrut he added is one important exhibition dedicated to the supply chain of fruit and vegetables, a sector he said Kenya has a big potential in.
“I think the relationship with Macfrut and the Kenyan companies is possible to increase production. We have organised a big presence of Kenyan companies in this edition. Usually, we have a very important group of companies, but this year we expect a very big group. This is not only a business opportunity but also for knowledge and knowing what the opportunity in the market is, not only for the Italian market. This is because Macfrut is not an Italian exhibition but an international one. We are many countries and many buyers from even Saudi Arabia and East of Europe,” opined Piraccini.
The Italian Trade Agency Director in Nairobi, Giuseppe Maneti, said that they work with Macfrut all year long since it organises different activities during the year. In the case of Kenya, they had ensured that the country got all information about what Macfrut is and where it could help to improve in terms of the quality, the network and the technology since Kenya has a good level of quality in agriculture.
