Tag: Horticulture

Kenya’s horticulture sector gets US$6m from EU to boost sanitary and phytosanitary standards of fresh produce

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KENYA – The European Union (EU) has granted Kenya €5 million (US$6 million) to support its horticultural sector achieve sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS) as required by the export markets. Under a four-year plan dubbed New Export Trade (NExT), EU aims at increasing the contribution of the horticultural sector to household income. Deputy Head of Delegation, EU to Kenya, Katrin Hagemann, said this will be achieved through the generation of employment opportunities and foreign currency. She said to improve food security safety and nutrition there is need to increase the…

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South Africa’s deciduous fruit sector taps lucrative export market following bumper harvest

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SOUTH AFRICA – The South African Table Grape Industry (SATI) has announced it has reached a total intake for the 2020/2021 season of 73 million cartons, a rise from the previous year’s 66.15 million cartons. Three of the five table grape production regions are in the Western Cape with the province’s Department of Agriculture’s Senior Economist Andrew Partridge highlighting that several factors supported the increase. “This has been the result of good weather conditions in most regions of the Western Cape during the packing season and is attributable to substantial…

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Morocco records rise in fruits, vegetable exports to UK by 51% in January post Brexit

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MOROCCO – Moroccan exports of fruit and vegetables to the United Kingdom have grown exponentially, following the Union’s withdrawal from the EU on December 31, 2020. Ever since the result of the Brexit referendum, the UK government has been looking to expand its diplomatic and economic relationships. One facet of this has materialized through the UK’s imports of fruit and vegetables, as it looks to decrease its reliance on EU member states. As part of the UK’s renewed efforts to consolidate new partnerships following Brexit, Poole Harbour Commissioners announced a…

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Kenya launches digital platform to automate agricultural service delivery

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KENYA – Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives has launched the AFA Integrated Management Information System (AFA-IMIS) that automates its service delivery and business processes. The online system developed by Agriculture and Food Authority of Kenya (AFA) with US$1.37 million funding from Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) through TradeMark East Africa was launched by Kenya’s Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya. The platform aims at providing efficient and transparent service to farmers and its stakeholders by reducing both the time and cost of acquiring services or products from the…

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Kenyan mangoes to re-enter European market after almost a decade long ban

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KENYA – Kenya is set to resume export of mangoes to the lucrative multi-billion European market after an eight-year hiatus following a self-imposed suspension. The ban was as a result of the fruit flies menace which was first discovered in the country in 2003 from Sri Lanka. The emergence of the fruit fly in Kenya led to numerous interceptions of mango consignments by the EU authority between 2010 and 2014. As a result, Kenya imposed a temporary self-export ban to protect the market and institute acceptable pest management measures. The…

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Rwanda receives green-light to export unprocessed dry chilli to China

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RWANDA – Rwanda has assented a protocol for the export of dried chilli to China, giving it access to the Asian market. The agreement was inked between the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda and the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, certifying that the quality of Rwanda’s dry chilli meets the standards required by China. Prior to the signing of the protocol, Rwandan companies were only exporting chili in other forms i.e., oil and paste, but not dried chilli. China’s e-commerce platform, Alibaba…

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Banana exports from Cameroon rise by 13.2% YoY attributed to bullish performance by all main exporters

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CAMEROON – Cameroon exported 17,258 tons of bananas in February 2021, a 13.28% year-on-year rise from the 14,965 tons exported in February 2020. According to data compiled by the Banana Association of Cameroon (Assobacam), the increase in exports was spurred by the commendable performance by all the three main market players. Plantations du Haut Penja (PHP), a local subsidiary of the French group Compagnie fruitière de Marseille exported 14,233 tons of bananas, a rise from 13,847 tons registered the previous year, representing a 2.71% jump. Over the same period, state-owned…

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Zimbabwe processed food export show case stellar performance attaining 17.9% growth

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ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe’s export of processed foods registered a bullish performance in 2020 despite the heavy strain from the Covid-19 pandemic, attaining a 17.9% rise in earning from US$98 million in 2019 to US$115 million, and further up from US$71.2 million recorded in 2018. This was revealed by the national trade promotion body, ZimTrade highlighting that top exported products included sugar fetching US$76 million, fruit juices earning US$5.6 million and pastry products gaining US$3.7 million. The growth was triggered by access of new markets, increased investment in better technologies, adoption…

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South Africa registers phenomenal citrus export growth in 2020, expected to continue growing in coming seasons

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SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa maintained its position as the world’s second largest citrus exporter in 2020, delivering 146 million cartons of South African citrus to the rest of the world. Citrus Growers Association (CGA) Chief Executive Justin Chadwick attributes the record-breaking achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted trade across the global, to close collaborations and partnerships within the industry and with the government. “It is a testament to the quality of South African citrus fruit which is in demand all over the globe,” he added. In March 2020,…

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Rwanda’s agricultural exports in second quarter register mixed bag of performance, overall declining by 5.5%

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RWANDA – Rwanda earned US$419.1 million from agricultural exports in the 2019/20 fiscal year, 10% down from US$465.4 million recorded in 2018/19. The decline, according to National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), is attributed to the reduction of cross border trade due to Covid-19 impact including the lockdown measures put in place. Meanwhile, the country’s agriculture exports in the second quarter of 2020/21 ended December fetched US$113.9 million a 5.5% decline from US$120.6 million registered in the same period last year. According to the data from NAEB, export revenues from…

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