Export of horticulture produce from Kisumu in Kenya to the United Kingdom has resumed after a three-month break occasioned by a decline in production.
The resumption will see Kenya Airways resume direct cargo flights from the region, performing three shipments of fresh produce weekly from the previous single trip as the demand for cargo transport picks up at the lakeside city. The national carrier will also resume shipment of cargo to the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands at the end of this month.
According to horticulture stakeholders, the projected chilli harvest is sufficient to sustain three flights a week from Kisumu to the UK.
“From our assessment, we now have enough chilli that can sustain up to three flights a week starting next month. The resumption of direct flights will come as a boost to farmers,” said Fresh Produce Consortium of Kenya chief executive Okisegere Ojepat.
Digital infrastructure
Consignments to the UAE and the Netherlands will include avocados, bananas and pineapples as Kenya seeks to increase its horticultural exports that generated Sh153 billion in revenue last year. Stakeholders in the horticultural sector have started a branding partnership with Kenyan foreign missions and embassies in Europe and Asia to market Kenya’s avocado and bananas overseas as the country seeks to diversify its reach globally.
Part of the branding entails a digital infrastructure to enhance exporter and buyer interphase in a bid to shore up export volumes. Last year, Kenya’s avocado and banana exports were valued at Sh14.4 billion and Sh3.6 billion shillings respectively.
Airlifting of freight from Kisumu to the world market has been necessitated by the expansion of the airport to encompass a cargo handling and cold storage facility through a public-private partnership. The cold storage facility a local investor owns will go a long way in enabling the airport to establish a full-fledged cargo division and cold chain logistics.
Farmers are expected to venture into value-addition and fish processing to tap into existing markets. Other commodities set for export from Kisumu are fish, mangoes, pineapples, peanuts, traditional green vegetables and organic beef.
