By MURIITHI KARIUKI / info@hortinews.co.ke
Nairobi, March 28, 2025 – The Radisson Blu Hotel in Nairobi played host to a landmark event as stakeholders in Kenya’s horticulture sector gathered to celebrate the successful conclusion of the New Export Trade (NExT) Kenya Programme. Spearheaded by the Committee Linking Entrepreneurship-Agriculture-Development (COLEAD) and funded by the European Union. The five-year programme has left a lasting impact on what is often called Kenya’s “green gold”—the horticulture industry.
Economic driver
In remarks delivered on behalf of Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Agriculture, Duke Mainga Echate, Chairperson of the Commodities Fund of Kenya, underlined the sector’s critical role in the national economy.
“Horticulture is a major foreign exchange earner, contributing significantly to Kenya’s GDP,” he noted, citing that in 2023 alone, fresh horticultural exports earned the country approximately Ksh 157 billion.
Beyond economic contribution, the sector provides livelihoods for millions of Kenyans and plays a pivotal role in national food security. However, Dr. Ronoh acknowledged ongoing challenges such as market access barriers, compliance with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards, and the growing threat of climate change.
“We must remain vigilant to the challenges bedevilling the horticulture sub-sector, and agriculture generally,” he said, emphasizing that such issues are being addressed through the newly formed National Horticulture Standing Committee, a government-private sector initiative.
Milestones
Since its inception, the NExT Kenya Programme has achieved numerous milestones that have laid a strong foundation for the future of horticulture. Dr. Ronoh highlighted several key accomplishments:
- Capacity Building: Agribusinesses and horticulture-related organizations have been strengthened to compete on regional and global scales.
- SPS Compliance: Collaborative efforts have enhanced understanding and compliance with evolving SPS regulations.
- Bottleneck Identification: The programme has effectively identified governance, operational, and skills-related gaps that hinder competitiveness.
A Stronger, Resilient Value Chain
Representatives from the European Union Delegation reflected on the programme’s strategic role in strengthening Kenya’s horticultural value chains.
“The objective of this programme was to strengthen Kenyan horticultural value chains by improving the capacity of the stakeholders in the sector to adapt to evolving SPS, commercial, social, and environmental requirements,” said Romero van Cutsem Rodrigo, from the EU Delegation to Kenya.
In addition to food safety and quality standards, the programme placed a strong emphasis on sustainability—socially, economically, and environmentally. This commitment was all the more significant given the challenging context in which the programme operated.
“This was achieved despite a very challenging context marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and continuously evolving regulations in some of Kenya’s main destination markets,” noted Jeremy Knops, General Manager of COLEAD.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Although the NExT Kenya Programme has brought notable progress, speakers acknowledged that hurdles remain. One pressing issue is the high cost of transport—especially air freight, which accounts for 85% of horticultural exports and 30-40% of produce value.
“Strategic investments in infrastructure and logistics are urgently needed,” stated Romero van Cutsem Rodrigo, highlighting the EU’s support for a “Master Plan – Transitioning to Rail and Sea Freight for Kenya’s Fresh Produce Exports,” aimed at diversifying transport options and improving environmental sustainability.
Key Lessons and the Future Outlook
The event also served as a platform for reflecting on the lessons learned from the five-year journey. COLEAD emphasized several core takeaways:
- Demand-Driven Approaches: Co-developing solutions with stakeholders ensures relevance and adoption.
- Holistic Value Chain Interventions: Addressing issues from farm to export gate yields systemic improvement.
- Building Resilience: Combining training, policy dialogue, and access to finance is key to weathering market and climate shocks.
- Inclusivity: Training focused on women, youth, and marginalized groups promotes equitable and broad-based sector growth.
“By leveraging the tools, networks, and expertise developed under NExT Kenya, we can sustain these gains and ensure the sector continues to flourish,” COLEAD affirmed.
Looking Forward
With the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) poised to create expanded opportunities, stakeholders are confident about the sector’s growth trajectory.
“We are confident that the EU-Kenya trade relations have substantial growth potential,” said Romero van Cutsem Rodrigo. “The EPA will fully open the EU market for Kenyan products and incentivize EU investment in Kenya thanks to increased legal certainty and stability.”
Programme Coordinator Technical Assistance Dr Chagema Kedera summed up the way forward:
“Strategic investment and market-oriented policies will be critical in unlocking these opportunities, ensuring that Kenya maximizes its agricultural potential in the global fresh produce industry.”