Kenya’s earnings from vegetable exports have dropped by more than two-thirds in two years, hurt by tighter safety compliance checks in key overseas markets, particularly the European Union trading bloc.

Provisional data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics show the value of vegetable exports last year declined 31.3 percent to Sh16.1 billion from Sh23.4 billion in 2024, extending a sharp drop from the previous year.

The latest figures, released on Friday, mark a second straight year of steep contraction after earnings from the sector peaked in 2023 when export earnings surged to Sh50.9 billion.

The annual revenues have since fallen 68.35 percent, underscoring the scale of the reversal in a segment of horticulture that had shown potential to be among Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners.

Vegetables such as French beans, snow peas, and sugar snaps are among Kenya’s key horticultural exports and are largely destined for European markets.

Agriculture and Food Authority, the sector regulator, has attributed the fall in export revenues largely to increased interceptions of Kenyan vegetable consignments in the 27-member EU trading bloc over pesticide residue violations.

“This sharp reduction is primarily attributed to increased Maximum Residue Level (MRL) interceptions and official notifications issued by the European Union concerning Kenya’s French beans and snow peas (pods),” the regulator said in its latest annual report.

The Maximum Residue Level (MRL) is the highest level of pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed when pesticides are applied correctly.

Read: Kenya vegetable exports hit by tough EU market rules

Data from AFA showed that MRL-related interceptions of Kenyan vegetable exports have been rising since 2023, signalling growing compliance challenges in the EU market.

For instance, the number of interceptions rose to 57 cases in 2024, more than double the 25 recorded in 2023.

The EU lowered the requirements on pesticide residues to a bare minimum, indicating that any level found on the consignment, whether high or low, is treated the same way.

An increase in the number of exports intercepted not only subjects exporters to losses but also places the country at risk of being banned from exporting produce to the EU until a corrective measure is taken.

“In response, the EU tightened border inspection requirements for Kenyan vegetables, increasing the inspection frequency from five percent to 15 percent at designated EU entry points,” the regulator said.

“These enhanced regulatory controls have had a direct impact on market access, shipping timelines, and the cost of compliance, ultimately contributing to the substantial reduction in export earnings from the vegetable subsector.”

The KNBS data, sourced from the Horticultural Directorate of the AFA, show export volumes of vegetables also declined in 2025, but at a slower pace compared with the drop recorded a year earlier. Shipments fell 11.7 percent to 65,595 metric tonnes from 74,304 tonnes in 2024.

The decline follows a steeper contraction in 2024 when export volumes plunged 54.7 percent from the 2023 peak of 164,064 tonnes, mirroring the collapse in earnings.

→ cmunda@ke.nationmedia.com

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