NAIROBI, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) — The volume of Kenya’s horticultural exports hit a new high in 2023, boosted by increased shipments of vegetables and fruits, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) said Monday.
The bank noted in the data released in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi that the country exported 580,648 tonnes of horticultural produce in the first 10 months of 2023, an increase from 572,290 tonnes in the entire 2022.
During the period, Kenya exported 245,194 tonnes of vegetables, 224,643 tonnes of fruits, and 110,811 tonnes of cut flowers. In 2022, the country exported 127,406 tonnes of cut flowers, 208,666 tonnes of fruits, and 194,627 tonnes of vegetables, the CBK said.
With Kenya exporting about 12,000 tonnes of flowers every month, the total cut exports for 2023 are expected to stand at about 134,000 tonnes.
The economic data indicated that the volume of flower exports has not grown as fast as that of fruits and vegetables as some key destination markets, including Europe and America, battled higher inflation during the period.
“There is global inflation that creates uncertainty on demand, and in turn, the prices have been driven downwards,” said Clement Tulezi, the chief executive officer of Kenya Flower Council, an industry lobby, in a recent interview.
Nevertheless, according to Tulezi, the industry was optimistic that horticulture exports would rise at least 10 percent in 2023.
Horticulture is one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners alongside tourism and tea.
