East Africa: Kenya Eyes Export Growth Through EU, Comesa Trade Reforms

6 October 2025
Capital FM (Nairobi)
By Kevin Rotich

Nairobi — Kenya is ramping up efforts to revive agricultural exports to Europe and expand into new African markets by aligning product standards, eliminating non-tariff barriers, and improving regional logistics.

Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui, speaking at the COMESA Horticulture Connect Forum in Nairobi, said the government is collaborating with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the European Union (EU) to enhance market access for horticultural exports, a key foreign exchange earner despite recent declines.

"Our goal is to increase exports to the European Union while also expanding to emerging markets such as the Middle East," Kinyanjui said.

"We also need to boost domestic consumption within COMESA so that we trade together, work together, and improve together."

Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines

The talks are centered on addressing non-tariff barriers (NTBs) such as inconsistent product standards, long border procedures, and high compliance costs that continue to constrain intra-African trade.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said Kenya has already banned over 200 pesticides that fail to meet global standards and is working with regional partners to harmonize sanitary and phytosanitary measures across COMESA to ease cross-border trade.

"It is enlightened self-interest that we all train the same and keep the same standards in order for us to collectively share markets," Kagwe noted.

Kenya's horticultural exports have dropped sharply, with fresh vegetable exports plunging by more than half in 2024 -- from Sh50.9 billion in 2023 to Sh23.4 billion -- due to tighter EU pesticide residue rules. The country also lost about Sh147 million after multiple flower consignments were rejected or intercepted under the EU's False Codling Moth regulations.

Kinyanjui said the government is prioritizing cold-chain investments and logistics infrastructure to maintain quality standards for perishable exports.

EU Ambassador Carole Easian reaffirmed the bloc's commitment to harmonizing trade regulations with COMESA and supporting sustainability compliance under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.

Officials added that Kenya's shift toward climate-smart agriculture and value addition is being driven by local priorities to enhance smallholder incomes and job creation.

Horticulture remains Kenya's third-largest foreign exchange earner after tea and tourism and is expected to rebound as regional markets open and trade bottlenecks are addressed.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2025 Capital FM. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.