The Horticultural Crops Hot Water Treatment Facility has been launched.

Posted on : Tuesday , 12th July 2022

The value of exported horticultural products in 2021 increased by 5.1% compared to 2020 and this trend is forecast to continue, as shown by impressive quarterly data from January to March 2022.

Quarterly data shows that the country exported horticultural products worth more than 26 billion shillings with a volume of 2.2 thousand tons.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, Peter Munya stated that the nation must act quickly to tap the great fortunes of the horticulture industry in order to improve social economic welfare for communities during a ceremony marking the breaking of ground for a hot water treatment facility at the Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) Centre in JKIA.

According to him, "This hot water treatment plant will revitalise and expand the horticultural export business by enhancing market access, therefore maintaining Kenya's position as a top exporter of fresh horticulture produce on the worldwide market."

Munya stated that the Horticulture Center has helped more than 500 small and medium-sized businesses run by young people and women.

The CS outlined how hot water treatment has been proven effective against fruit flies globally and noted that by building the facility, Kenya will be able to enter new, profitable markets in addition to improving the quality and value of its exported mangoes.

"Kenya is now at a trajectory period to win additional markets and restore its market share in the EU, thus it is obvious that this project we are launching  will create countless employment along the value chain for our nation upon completion," he said.

He added that the project would not only help farmers with their ongoing selling difficulties, but it would also give Kenyan fresh horticulture produce priority access to the world market.

Munya pointed out that Kenya and the European Union have other enticing market access accords that open up huge export prospects for the agricultural products.

Through targeted and purposeful interventions, such as increased budgetary allocations, supportive fiscal regimes, and institutional reforms, the government has been revitalising and modernising all crucial agricultural value chains of coffee, tea, dairy, sugar, pyrethrum, and cotton for the past few years.