Kenya Airways has invested in a new cargo system and centre to enable its passengers track their goods and improve the storage of perishable goods, a move that is expected to increase efficiency.

The perishable goods centre, to be unveiled in the New Year, is a 2,500 square meter cold room facility that can hold 100 pallets at a go.

Ms Sauda Rajab, the airline's cargo general manager, said the airline had integrated the operations and cargo system to bring efficiency in the entire cargo handling process in a bid to grow cargo revenues.

She did not give details on how the tracking system would work, promising to do so at the launch.

Cargo volumes in the country dropped this year due to the global economic meltdown as well as drought in the country.

Kenya Airways is looking at improving its tonnage in the New Year with new investments after recording a 14 per cent drop in tonnage in the first half of the current financial year, ending September 30.

The airline uplifted 26,339 tonnes compared to 30,875 in the previous year.

In addition, yield from cargo also dropped by 19 per cent from $1.56 per kilogramme to $1.26 per kilogramme mainly due to reduced demand and competition, although in shillings, the yield was not as bad as the currency was weaker during the period.

East Africa, Far East, Southern Africa, Europe, domestic, Middle East and Asia recorded a significant drop over the period but the other African routes there was some growth boosted by increased frequencies.

Earnings came down by 16 per cent from Sh3.08 million to Sh2.59 million in the first half of the year.

As new airlines begin business in the Kenyan market competition for a slice of this business has increased with the Middle East carriers aggressively seeking to penetrate the market.

Emirates, Etihad and Qatar now operate direct freighters - planes dedicated to cargo only - into the country.

The horticultural industry is the biggest source of cargo on this route.

Other commodities that Kenya exports by air include tea, coffee, fish, seeds and personal effects.

The country's imports by air include personal effects, telecommunication equipment, computer parts and vehicle and machine spare parts.

The export volumes outweigh import volumes for most airlines on the Kenyan route with the bulk of the freight being carried as belly load, in the lower deck or belly of the plane.

As of October this year, Emirates had moved 18,664 tonnes of cargo compared to 24,724 the previous year.

British Airways, another major competitor in the business, moves over 20 tonnes out of the country daily in its belly.