The apex bank said in an economic report released in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, that the country earned 40 billion shillings (309.4 million U.S. dollars) during the first quarter, a decline from 349 million dollars during a similar period in 2024.
Kenya exported 216,429 tonnes of produce, up from 206,714 tonnes in a comparable period in 2024, according to the bank.
The East African nation’s main horticultural exports are vegetables, fruits and cut flowers, with the latter contributing the bulk of the earnings from the sector, which is one of Kenya’s leading foreign exchange earners.
The decline in horticulture export earnings during the quarter is a continuation from last year, when earnings from the sector stood at 1.06 billion dollars, a fall from 1.21 billion dollars in 2023.
Paul Kipronoh Ronoh, principal secretary of the State Department for Agriculture, said recently that the strong shilling had made exports expensive, reducing demand for horticultural produce in destination markets.
“Change of export routes also has not only lengthened transit times for those highly perishable products but also increased airfreight costs,” Ronoh said.
The Netherlands and Britain are the biggest horticultural produce markets in Europe for Kenya, while in Asia, China, India and Kazakhstan lead.
