Kenya is targeting to boost its overall horticulture exports through increased exports to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the industry said on Thursday. Ojepat Okisegere, CEO of Fresh Produce Consortium Kenya told journalists in Nairobi that the bulk of the country’s fresh produce is absorbed by the European Union and Britain. “One strategy to increase our exports by 25 percent annually is through tapping additional markets such as the United Arab Emirates,” Okisegere said. Data from the ministry of agriculture indicate that the east African nation earned 148 billion shillings (about 1.34 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020 with flowers providing the bulk of the revenues.
He added that Kenya plans to leverage on the Dubai Expo 2020, which runs from October and March 2022 to boost horticulture sales. Government data indicates that Kenya exported goods worth 308 million dollars in 2020 to UAE against imports of 832 million dollars. Okisegere noted Kenya is prioritizing additional sales of flowers, avocados, bananas, tomatoes and beans to the Middle East nation. According to the industry, UAE is an ideal market for the country’s fresh produce because it is less than five hours by air and less than two weeks by sea freight.