Fresh vegetable exports halve as tightened pesticide checks impact trade
Kenyan fresh vegetable exports halved in 2024 as industry grappled with tightened EU checks on chemical residues.
According to data from Kenya National Bureau of Statistics’ (KNBS) 2025 Economic Survey, earnings from fresh vegetable exports declined from KSh50.9bn (€345mn) in 2023 to KSh23.4bn (€158.8mn) in 2024. Export volumes dropped from 164,000 tonnes to 74,000 tonnes in the same period.
“Fresh vegetables earnings recorded a decline… mainly due to Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) interceptions. Further, EU notifications regarding Kenyan beans and peas in pods due to concerns about pesticide residue levels exceeding MRLs resulted in lower export volumes,” the Survey said.
According to a report from the Daily Nation, India is emerging as promising alternative market for Kenyan agricultural products. Exports of dried leguminous vegetables jumped over 500 per cent from 2023 to 2024 and avocado exports commenced in 2024.
“We realise the Indian market has risen in terms of sophistication and even the demand must correspond to needs of the niches in the market. We are marketing key products into the market by developing a targeted IMC (Integrated marketing communications) plan,” said the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (Keproba).
