Workers sort coffee beans at a coffee estate in Ruiru, a suburb on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, on June 3, 2021. (Xinhua/Long Lei)
Kenya's coffee exports in 2023 reached 47,861 tonnes, or 98.38 percent of the country's total production of the cash crop, a senior government official said Monday.
NAIROBI, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's coffee exports reached 47,861 tonnes in 2023 out of a total production of 48,648 tonnes, a senior government official said Monday.
Simon Chelugui, cabinet secretary for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development, told journalists in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, that the country earned 251.86 million U.S. dollars from its coffee exports in 2023.
"Despite the myriad challenges facing our coffee industry, including fluctuating international prices and climatic uncertainties, Kenya's coffee continues to uphold its esteemed reputation for unparalleled quality on the global stage," Chelugui said during the Kenya-Colombia coffee technical cooperation forum.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (2nd L) looks at coffee varieties at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange Auction in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, on Aug. 15, 2023. (Photo by Fred Mutune/Xinhua)
Coffee is one of Kenya's top foreign exchange earners, alongside tea and horticulture. Benson Apuoyo, acting director of the Coffee Directorate at the Agriculture and Food Authority, said that the top destinations for Kenya's coffee include the United States, Belgium, Germany, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, Australia, Denmark and Norway.
Apuoyo added that coffee exports to African countries in 2023 amounted to less than 1 percent of the total exports, with the largest African destination being South Africa. He noted that the government is currently implementing several reforms, such as the rollout of the 27.4 million dollars Coffee Cherry Fund, to enable farmers to access affordable financing. ■
