Horticulture industry players from across Eastern Africa have launched a regional council to push for fewer trade barriers, better logistics and stronger market access for farmers and exporters.
The Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA) was launched in Nairobi on September 22, bringing together national horticulture associations from nine countries — Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
The council is expected to provide a common platform for the private sector to engage governments and regional institutions on challenges that affect horticultural trade across borders.
HoCEA Chairperson Dr Jacqueline Mkindi said the council was created to strengthen regional coordination and develop a common agenda for horticultural trade, competitiveness and inclusive growth.
“Our agenda is to produce nationally but also conduct regionally and compete globally,” Mkindi said.
The move comes as producers and exporters face a range of obstacles, including high freight costs, delays at borders and ports, inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, fragmented digital systems and differences in sanitary and phytosanitary requirements and certification procedures.
Industry representatives also raised concerns over post-harvest losses. According to local media reports, losses are estimated at between 30 and 80 per cent in some parts of the horticulture value chain, while stakeholders called for greater investment in collection centres, cold storage and farmer training.
The council has identified five priority areas: market access and trade facilitation; cold-chain infrastructure and trade corridors; digital trade and traceability; inclusive value-chain development; and climate resilience and sustainable production.
Kenya’s Deputy Director for Internal Trade, Matthew Komen, said the challenges could not be addressed by individual countries or businesses acting alone. He called for coordinated public-private action to improve trade systems and market access.
Komen also highlighted Kenya’s horticultural trade, saying the country exports about 467,000 tonnes of horticultural produce annually valued at $1.143 billion.
Kenya is working to expand cold-storage facilities along the Northern Corridor and at Inland Container Depots, while strengthening electronic cargo tracking and single-window systems.
Stakeholders are also looking to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand intra-African horticultural trade. They say greater regional trade, combined with processing, packaging and branding, could allow countries to retain more value from their agricultural production.
For exporters, however, financial and logistical pressures remain significant. HoCEA Secretary General Clement Tulezi said rising freight costs, taxes and levies were putting pressure on the flower industry.
He also called for faster payment of VAT refunds, citing industry figures that put outstanding refunds owed to Kenya’s flower sector at about Sh12 billion.
Development partners including TradeMark Africa and the European Union have called for more efficient logistics, climate-resilient supply chains, stronger quality infrastructure and greater use of digital trade systems.
The Northern Corridor, linking Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to international markets, has been identified as particularly important for the movement of perishables.
The Nairobi dialogue is expected to produce an action roadmap outlining priority interventions, responsible institutions and timelines.
HoCEA says its role will complement, rather than replace, national horticulture associations by focusing on problems and opportunities that require cross-border coordination.
