Kenya's fresh vegetable industry has taken a hit over the past year, with exports to Europe dropping by nearly half in 2024, mainly due to the European Union's stricter chemical residue checks.
The latest Economic Survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has revealed that earnings from fresh vegetable exports plummeted from Ksh50.9 billion (€345 million) in 2023 to Ksh23.4 billion (€158.8 million) in 2024. This marked one of the worst annual declines in recent years.
According to KNBS, the slump can be attributed to increased interceptions over Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) in Kenyan vegetables such as beans and peas in pods.
MRLs are legal limits for pesticide residues in food, set by the European Commission for specific products. The main goal behind having MRLs is to protect human and animal health.
Several Kenyan vegetables, according to the report, drew notifications from the EU over pesticide residue levels, which exceeded the standard thresholds. That resulting scrutiny inevitably led to a drop in export volumes, which dipped from 164,000 tonnes in 2023 to just 74,000 tonnes in 2024.
“Fresh vegetables earnings recorded a decline… mainly due to Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) interceptions. Further, EU notifications regarding Kenyan beans and peas in pods due to concerns about pesticide residue levels exceeding MRLs resulted in lower export volumes,” read the report.
With no signs of export volumes to EU member states returning to what they were, Kenya is now exploring alternative markets to cushion the agricultural sector, with India emerging as a promising destination.
Notably, exports of dried leguminous vegetables to India increased by over 500 per cent in 2024. That same year, Kenya also began exporting avocados to the Asian country.
The Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPBROA) also appears to have realised the potential of exporting to India, whose market has been observed to have risen in terms of sophistication and demand.
In terms of overall exports, however, Kenya has begun to reap the highly aggressive expansion of international markets for its products, with data showing the country’s export earnings grew by Ksh1.1 trillion in 2024.
The spike in earnings can be traced to a boost from tea, apparel, oils, fruits, coffee, and jet fuel re-exports, according to KNBS.
Despite growth in earnings, a detailed review shows exports grew modestly, jumping from Ksh906.32 billion in 2023 to Ksh932.15 billion in 2024. This indicates a 2.8 per cent increase, signalling steady, if not dramatic, export performance.
