French beans & snow peas value chain
The climatic condition of Kenya favors the production of a variety of vegetable products. A review of Kenya’s exports shows there have been very limited diversifications of vegetable exports, with the bulk of exports being dominated by French beans, snow peas, runner beans, and Asian vegetables. A review of the target destination regions and countries by their annual market size of vegetables revealed the EU and the USA as the lead markets. Both markets account for 75% of the total export demand of target destination countries/regions’ annual market size, with the EU being in the lead at 56%, followed by the USA at 19%.
Herbs and spices value chain
The spices and herbs with global demand include the following: Pepper, Parsley, Paprika, Marjoram, Capsicum (chillies and cayenne pepper) Oregano, Pimento (allspice), Thyme, Coriander, Bay leaves, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Ginger, Basil, Nutmeg, Mint, Caraway, Savoury, Turmeric, Dill, Cumin, Tarragon, Cloves, Sage, Mace, Cardamom, Anise or badian seeds, Fenugreek, Saffron, Vanilla, Fennel seeds and Juniper berries. According to AFA, the herbs and spices that are being promoted for exports include the following: Herbs (Chives, Rosemary, Dill, Marjoram, Basil, Mint, Parsley, Coriander, Curry leaves & Celery). Spices a...
Mangoes value chain
Kenya has an abundant supply of mangoes and is the largest producer in the East African Community, with a competitive advantage of having amongst the highest mango yields in the world. In 2018, the area under mangoes decreased by 4% from 50,550ha in 2017 to 48,541ha (HCD 2018). However, the value and volume in 2018 increased by 5.8% and 9.7%, respectively, compared to 2017. The cyclic production attributed the increase in volume in mangoes. The leading counties in mango production as ranked by value were Makueni, Machakos, Kilifi, and Kwale, whose contribution to the total value was 24.9, 17.7, 14.6, and 4.7 percent...
Passion fruit value chain
Purple passion is an important commercial fruit in Kenya grown for both the export and domestic markets. In Kenya, the two varieties (Purple and Yellow) are grown and used as fresh fruit or for processing into juices. Yellow passion is gaining prominence due to its demand in fruit juice processing with the leading counties being Kwale, Meru, Bungoma, Lamu, and Embu (HCD 2018). The purple passion fruit (passiflora edulis) is the most commonly grown passion for commercial purpose in Kenya and mainly grown for fresh and juice extraction in high potential or cool areas. The leading counties in production of purple....
Macadamia value chain
Macadamia is considered the world’s finest dessert nut because of its delicate taste and numerous health benefits. In Kenya, smallholder farmers grow it both as a cash crop and foreign exchange earner with Kenya producing about 10% of the world’s total production. For a long time, the country has been ranked second in the production of Macadamia after Australia. The most popular varieties grown in high potential areas of Eastern, Central and Rift valley provinces of Kenya are Macadamia integrifolia and tetraphylla. Macadamia tetraphylla is more adaptive to cooler climate and has rough shelled bush nut while the Macadamia ...
Chilies value chain
Chili/hot pepper is increasingly becoming one of the hottest crops for farmers and a household ingredient in Kenya. They are grown mostly for their fresh fruits used to flavor soups and stews and for seasoning and making sauces. The varieties of Kenyan chilies represent some of the hottest of them; Cayenne Pepper, African Bird Eye, Jalapeno, Serenade, habareno, and more. Some of the counties that thrive in Chili farming in Kenya include; Makueni, Kirinyaga, Machakos, Laikipia, Naivasha Meru, Nyandarua, and Embu with targeted export destinations including United Kingdom, France, Netherlands, Germany, ...