TradeMark Africa (TMA) on Thursday inked a technical and financial support deal with the National Horticulture Taskforce (NHT).
Both entities pledged to fortify and maintain investments in Kenya’s fresh produce exports. This pact is part of the EU-funded Business Environment and Export Enhancing Programme (BEEEP), which, among other initiatives, aims to transition 50% of Kenya’s fresh produce exports from air to sea freight by 2030.
The signing took place at an event that convened stakeholders from the logistics sector to evaluate the state of agro logistics in Kenya and to review the development of Kenya’s Masterplan for shifting fresh produce exports from air to sea freight.
Kenya’s move from airfreight to seafreight is not only an environmental decision but also a crucial economic advantage to safeguard its fresh produce exports, especially as UK and European supermarkets seek to reduce their carbon footprint.
Airfreighting from Kenya to Europe generates significantly higher greenhouse gases compared to sea freight (1 kilogram of airfreighted green beans emits as much as 177 kilograms of sea-freighted green beans).
NHT’s targeted initiatives include enhancing the capacity of horticultural product producers to adopt sustainable practices, such as using renewable energy on farms, implementing various water conservation methods, and transitioning fresh produce exports from air freight to sea freight.
Henriette Geiger, Ambassador of the European Union to Kenya, stated, “We fully support the NHT as we transition the avocado, mango, and vegetable value chains towards more sustainable production processes from farm to fork. This also aligns with our Generation Green Campaign, where we aim for increased productivity that will stimulate economic development through job creation, but in a sustainable and inclusive manner.”
Ahmed Farah, Kenya Country Director at TMA, remarked, “As the world moves towards more sustainable production, there has been a need for Kenyan producers to integrate sustainable agricultural practices and environmental impact mitigation strategies to achieve net zero carbon emissions. This partnership will be instrumental in enabling producers to meet these requirements.”
Clement Tulezi, Chairperson of the National Horticulture Taskforce, expressed gratitude for the support received from the European Union through TradeMark Africa.
Tulezi emphasized the importance of identifying relevant interventions and meeting the programme’s objectives of increasing and diversifying trade in mangoes, avocados, and vegetable value chains, reducing trading times and costs by improving efficiency and environmental sustainability of transport infrastructure, and enhancing the business climate.
Earlier in the year, the European Union signed a €25 million (KSH 4.2 billion) agreement with TMA in support of the Business Environment and Export Enhancement Programme (BEEEP).
BEEEP is an export-oriented value chain ecosystem designed to address challenges in mangoes, avocados, and vegetable value chains, enhancing competitiveness and increasing access to identified export markets.
