Kenya benefits from PIP programme

In the first of a regular series of features on African, Caribbean and Pacific producing nations, the Journal's spotlight falls on Kenya. Horticulture is one of the most vibrant sectors of the Kenyan economy, ranking second behind tea as a generator of foreign exchange. Some 40,000 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables are exported yearly to the European Union by Kenyan producers and exporters. At the top of the list are green beans ñ one of the most important imported horticultural product to the EU from ACP countries ñ with 22,000t, followed by avocados (12,000t) and mange-tout (4,000t). Kenya is the second biggest producer of green beans in the world and the biggest exporter of mange tout to the EU. The production of fresh veg in Kenya rests mainly in the hands of 4,000 small producers.