Tea production decreased by 4.4 percent compared with a growth of 61.8 percent in the same quarter in 2013/FILE
The report attributes the decline in export earnings to mineral fuels and related products, machinery and transport equipment and food related products, during the first quarter of 2014.
The earnings from tea exports also declined by 20.1 percent while earnings from coffee increased marginally in the period under review compared to the same period in 2013.
Tea production decreased by 4.4 percent compared with a growth of 61.8 percent in the same quarter in 2013.
Export of vegetables contracted by 20.3 percent in 2014 to 16.6 thousand metric tonnes while that of fruits increased by 18.5 percent to reach 9.2 thousand metric tonnes over the same period.
Quantities of cut flower exported declined marginally over the review period.
“On the other hand, output of coffee and sugarcane recorded significant growths though their combined effect could not offset the poor performance of other crops. International auction prices of coffee and tea decreased compared to the same quarter in 2013,” the report states.
The import bill declined by 3.0 percent to stand at Sh345.2 billion in the first quarter of 2014 from Sh356.0 billion recorded in the same period of 2013 owing to decreases in the expenditure on inedible crude materials, mineral fuels and related products and manufactured goods.
The volume of trade decreased by 1.7 percent to Sh479.7 billion in the period under review.
Kenya’s economy has expanded by 4.1 percent in the first quarter of 2014 according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics report, compared to 5.2 percent during the same quarter of 2013.
According to the report, constrained growth was due to erratic weather pattern that resulted in depressed agricultural output as well as insecurity concerns coupled with negative travel advisories that dropped the hotels and restaurants earnings in the quarter under review.
