Farmers are set to be among the big winners as President Uhuru Kenyatta signs new trade deals in November aimed at bridging the trade gap between Kenya and China.
The agreements are to be sealed at the Shanghai Import Expo which will see Uhuru travel to China for the second time in as many months.
The deals are expected to open up the Chinese market to avocados, mangoes, cashew nuts and flowers from Kenya in particular.
Representatives of various agricultural bodies and traders will be in the President's delegation to Shanghai.
Kenya sold goods worth only Ksh10 billion to China last year while China sold a whopping Sh390 billion worth of goods to Kenya in the same period.
China's sales to Kenya represented a 20 percent increase from the previous year when goods sold stood at Sh337 billion.
A working group is to be established to negotiate trade tariffs on tea and coffee exports to China.
“Another expected outcome of the President’s visit to Shanghai will be the signing of an MoU for the establishment of a trade negotiation working group whose mandate will be to negotiate trade tariffs, especially on tea and coffee exports to China as well as explore additional markets for the country’s cash crops,” a statement from State House read in part.
It is projected that the deal could lead to China taking up to 40 percent of Kenya's fresh produce.
The revival of the cashew nut industry will also be in focus with the Jubilee administration having assured Coast residents that it was a priority.
