Food Authority eyes Sh3.6 billion in Kenyan horticultural exports to Italy

 

Kenya will deepen its effort to increase its horticulture export market share to Italy by two per cent, the Agriculture Food Authority (AFA) has confirmed.

 

The country wants to make her presence in the European Union (EU) market by seeking to sign partnerships with key global marketing and trade agencies to promote export of local produce.

 

Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Director General Dr. Bruno Linyiru confirmed that Kenya is controlling a substantial market share in the EU market owing to its high-quality produce.

 

Speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Italy-based prominent trade fair MACFRUIT and AFA, the DG said the country's focus is to tap more of the unexploited market as part of increasing exports.

 

"Kenya is targeting a substantial rise aiming to reach approximately Sh3.6 billion in exports to Italy over the next five years," he said.

 

The DG however acknowledged that Kenya's horticultural export volume to the EU has declined from 213,1780 metric tonnes, valued at Sh80.3 billion in 2023 to 188,956 metric tonnes worth Sh71.8 billion in 2024.

 

Through the MOU, Linyiru said the government's interest is to expose farmers and exporters to the magnitude of the Italy market, where exporters will have a chance to ship more horticulture produce by more than five percent by 2030.

 

The DG noted that Italy is among the top five export destinations denoting three per cent volume and two per cent value in 2024 and therefore remains a significant trading partner in horticultural products and produce ranked in position 11 globally.

 

Fruits are the main export crop at 55 per cent, followed by flowers at 36 per cent, herbs and spices at 18 per cent, and vegetables at one per cent.

 

"We are committed to maintaining high standards through the Horticultural Code of Practice ensuring that we meet EU requirements and improve the quality of our exports. We have implemented traceability systems to track products from farm to final destination ensuring quality control,” Linyiru said.

 

Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) Ag. Director Christine Chesaro said Kenya is a leader in the EU market, but that there are still segments of the market that need to be exploited.

 

"Efforts are underway to mitigate the risk of the false codling moth (FCM) a challenge that has seen farmers unable to ship products.  Over 70 per cent of farmers are already on track to comply with the new EU regulations," she said.

 

The president of MACFRUIT, Renzo Piraccini, said Kenya has the potential to not only export avocados but also products  across various horticultural sectors.

 

He pointed out the importance of the upcoming MACFRUIT exhibition, to be held in Italy in May this year, saying it will create business opportunities and provide valuable knowledge.

 

Meanwhile, data by AFA indicates that Kenya's horticulture export volumes and values to Italy in the last five years totalled 23,217 tonnes valued at Sh10.4 billion, representing three per cent of Kenyans' total EU Sh375 billion export value.