Kenya monthly tea, horticulture earnings rise

The Business Daily posted a Reuters article that earnings from Kenya's tea exports rose to 7.69 billion Kenyan shillings in September from 6.41 billion a year earlier after price per unit rose, while horticulture earnings jumped by 141 percent to 9.53 billion shillings in October from the year ago period, the statistics office said on Wednesday.

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics said in its monthly review for October that tea output was up by 6 percent to 30,493 tonnes in September from the same period a year ago, while the price per kg rose to $3.05 from $2.80 per kg in September 2010.

Tea and horticulture are the Kenyan economy's leading foreign exchange sources alongside tourism and remittances.

Source: The Business Daily

New food miles policy to bear down on horticulture sector

Workers at the Horticulture Crops Development Authority pack baby corn for export . Fresh produce exporters are likely to feel the heat from new policy.

By Allan Odhiambo (email the author)
Posted Monday, June 22 2009 at 00:00

Fresh produce exporters could face new hurdles as the European Commission embarks on crafting new policy regulations on the controversial carbon foot prints concept that aims at curbing environmental pollution.

“Stakeholders have proposed further EU schemes particularly in the environmental sphere, such as product of high-nature value farming,” the Commission said in a latest notice to the EU Parliament as well as the economic and social committee.

But in what is expected to cause jitters among players in the local horticulture industry, the commission revealed it would particularly rein in on policies on the management of products shipped in from far flung areas amid concerns that such shipments contributed to global warming.

"The Council has asked the Commission to look at labelling options in the complex area of carbon footprint,” the EC said in its communication.

Though the debate over carbon footprint/food miles concept has gradually fizzled out, the subject in 2007 rattled players in the Kenyan horticulture industry amid concerns that it threatened to lock out local producers from key markets especially in Europe.

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KE: Kenya: Farmers count losses as disease threatens to wipe out bananas

Banana production has been main source of income to Christopher Okwiri and other farmers in Western Kenya. But the investment faces a bleak future following an outbreak of a disease that is threatening to wipe out the crop.

The attack by Xanthomonas wilt has resulted in drying up of several hectares of young banana plantations, causing farmers to incur heavy losses.“The disease has impacted negatively on our main source of income and food security. Several hectares of banana plantation are likely to be wiped out unless researchers come out with proper management practices on how to protect the plant from the infections,” appeals Mr Okwiri.

His five-acre farm in Teso district has been generating an average of Sh12,000 a month from the banana plantation.A team from Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) recently toured areas affected by the disease and took samples for analysis.

Source: nation.co.ke