Workers prepare roses at a flower farm in Naivasha, Nakuru County, Kenya, Feb. 10, 2022. (Photo by Robert Manyara/Xinhua)
The value of horticulture exports Kenya shipped between January and August fell 9.9 percent year on year due to low volumes, according to the country's central bank.
NAIROBI, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- The value of horticulture exports Kenya shipped between January and August 2022 declined 9.9 percent as compared to a similar period in 2021 on low volumes, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) said Monday.
Kenya in the eight months exported vegetables, fruits, and cut flowers worth 84.1 billion shillings (717 million U.S. dollars) from a volume of 371,129 tons.
This was down from 769 million dollars from 427,697 tons in a similar period in 2021, according to data released by the bank.
The CBK attributed the decline in volumes shipped to disruptions in the global market caused by the Ukraine-Russia crisis, rising inflation, and restrictions by the local regulator to boost quality.
Kenya's Horticulture Directorate in the first quarter restricted the sale of avocados, the country's main export fruit to curb the shipment of immature produce to protect its market.
A staff member labeled a box with fresh avocados at Sunripe factory in Limuru Town, Kiambu County, Kenya, on August 2, 2022. (Xinhua/Dong Jianghui)
Similarly, the crisis in eastern Europe and rising inflation in major markets like the U.S. and European Union have seen shipments decline, with the latter making consumers tighten their budgets.
Kenya has, however, moved to expand the market by starting the sale of avocados to China.
The first avocado shipment from Kenya to China was done in August and the country is working to export up to 100,000 tons of the fruit to the Asian nation.
In 2021, Kenya's exports stood at 1.39 billion dollars, rising 5 percent compared to the previous year. ■
