NAIROBI, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's earnings from horticulture exports rose 14.3 percent in the first quarter of 2024, boosted by increased shipments to markets in Europe and Asia, the Central Bank said in new economic data released Friday.
The central bank said the country earned 45.1 billion shillings (about 351 million U.S. dollars) during the quarter, an increase from 307 million dollars during a similar period in 2023.
The country in the quarter exported 208,146 tonnes of produce, a rise from 171,384 tonnes in a similar period in 2023, according to the bank.
Kenya's main horticulture exports are vegetables, fruits and cut flowers, with the former comprising the bulk of the shipments in volume. Flowers, mainly sold in Europe, however, make up most of the earnings.
The rise in horticulture exports is a continuation of 2023, when the East African nation's earnings from the sector stood at 1.21 billion dollars, up from 1.14 billion dollars in 2022.
In Europe, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom are the biggest horticulture produce markets for Kenya, while in Asia, there are China, India and Kazakhstan.
Kenya is also seeking new markets for its produce, especially in Africa, where in May it was among five countries selected to implement the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC) Horticultural Accelerator initiative alongside Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.
Mohamed Kadah, assistant secretary-general for Programs at the COMESA secretariat, said recently that the initiative will speed up the growth of the fruit and vegetable sections of countries in the two regions. ■
