NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 25 — Kenya is eyeing an expansion of its herbal and spice exports to Europe, buoyed by growing global demand for sustainable and natural health remedies that is opening new trade frontiers for the East African nation.
The Kenyan Embassy in Belgium has announced plans to broaden the country’s export portfolio beyond traditional products such as tea, coffee, and cut flowers—which currently dominate Kenya’s European market share—by enhancing trade in herbs and spices.
“The exceptional interest in Kenya’s herbs and spices reflects a growing global shift toward sustainability and natural health remedies, signaling a bright future for Kenya’s herbal and spice exports in the European and global markets,” the Embassy said in a statement.
“This is a commodity the Embassy will continue to promote and enhance.”
Kenya already ranks among the leading suppliers of cut flowers to Europe, exporting blooms worth Sh72.1 billion (about US$835 million) in 2024 alone, with around 70 percent destined for the European Union.
The Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom remain the top destinations for Kenyan flowers.
Expanding herbal and spice exports—including ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, hibiscus, and moringa—is expected to diversify Kenya’s export earnings and reduce reliance on a few agricultural commodities.
The Embassy added that it will work closely with Kenyan agripreneurs and European distributors to promote quality standards, traceability, and branding of Kenyan herbs as premium organic products.
According to the Kenyan mission in Brussels, the initiative aligns with Europe’s Green Deal and the continent’s growing consumer preference for natural ingredients in the food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical sectors—a shift that could position Kenya at the forefront of sustainable agricultural trade.
