Kenya’s exports value increased by 17 percent in 2021 to hit Ksh666.7 billion compared to Ksh567.4 billion in 2020, buoyed by the increase was greatly influenced by huge earnings from top agricultural products (tea and horticultural products).
According to the latest data from the Kenya Trade Network Agency (KenTrade) Business Intelligence Tool, agricultural products registered about Ksh296 billion which was 44.4 percent of the total domestic exports.
The export volumes increased from 643.7 billion tonnes to 743.7 billion tonnes in 2021 with improved exports in clothing accessories and agricultural products.
“Through the trade facilitation platform, Kenya Exported approximately 1.2 million tonnes of agricultural products especially tea and horticulture that still stand as our main export,” the report states.
Uganda remains Kenya’s largest market, exporting goods worth Ksh91.6 billion, followed by Netherlands at Ksh61.6 billion and USA at Ksh59.5 billion.
The African Market, Europe and Asia are some of the highest export regions yielding an export average of Ksh170 billion.
On the other hand, the total value of imports increased by 30.9 percent from Ksh1.6 trillion in 2020 to Ksh2.1 trillion in 2021, with petroleum contributing to 67 percent of the increase in the import bill.
Petroleum imported in the country for the year 2021 amounts to an estimate of Ksh336 billion and industrial machinery imported valued at KSh. 255 billion for the same period 2021.
“Food products such as wheat, maize and rice rose in the value of the imports realized through the Kenya TradeNet system. The imports that are consumed majorly in the country are wheat which is the highest imported commodity amounting to approximately 1.8 million tonnes, iron and steel and cement clinker with 1.7 million and 1 million tonnes respectively. Other commodities imported in high tonnage for the year 2021 include animal, vegetable fat and oil, chemical fertilisers and rice,” the report indicates.
The volume of trade in the year under review amounted to 2.8 trillion compared to 2.2 trillion in the year 2020.
Commenting on the report, KenTrade Chief Executive Officer Amos Wangora said the findings on both the imports and the exports are made possible through the availability and the increased use of the TradeNet System.
“We have recently made an upgrade of the Kenya TradeNet System to Trade Facilitation Platform (TFP) which has since made the Partner Government Agencies and Users of the system enjoy vast advantages. The platform is an advancement of the new technology which is robust in nature,” Wangora noted.
(TFP) has integrated with various Partner Government Agencies namely Kenya Maritime Authority (KMA), Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate (KEPHIS), Agriculture Food Authority Directorate, Tea Board of Kenya, Port Health and an upcoming integration with Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and KEBS (Kenya Bureau of Standards). The Trade Facilitation platform has great capacity, is user-friendly, scalability and it has in the recent past attracted over 35 Partner Government Agencies with over 17,000 users.
Mr. Wangora stated that with the recent Presidential ascent of the Kenya National Electronic Single Window System Act 2022, they are looking forward to advancing their services in ensuring Trade Facilitation and efficient service delivery to Kenya and its environs.
This is the first report from the new Business Intelligence (BI) Tool. The tool, which was co – funded by TradeMark East Africa (TMEA), went live on June 30, 2022.
The BI is helping the Agency visualize internal and external strengths and weaknesses, detect opportunities for more innovation, and will be instrumental in KenTrade’s goal of reducing the cost of doing business in Kenya.
Kenya can more agriculture exports using latest technology and new methods to harvest their fields.