NAIROBI, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is currently engaging China in order to expand its horticultural exports, a senior government official said on Monday.
Betty Maina, cabinet secretary of the Ministry of Industrialization, Trade and Enterprise Development, told journalists in Nairobi that the country is keen to diversify its markets as the bulk of its fresh produce is sold in the European Union and Britain.
"We have engaged with China to try to satisfy the sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures that are required to be able to export more fresh produce export to China," Maina said when Kenya Airlines signed a cooperation agreement with the Kenya fresh produce exporters.
According to the trade ministry, Kenya currently exports fresh flowers and frozen avocados to the Asian nation.
Maina noted that the fresh avocados are not able to access the Chinese markets and this has reduced the volume of produce that can reach China.
She noted that the country will prioritize use of voluntary compliance to health protocols among agricultural exports to ensure that Kenyan goods meet the safety standards of importing nations.
The official urged the horticulture industry to invest in self-regulatory compliance measures so that Kenya safeguards its lucrative export markets.
The government official said that Kenya is also seeking other markets such as Russia, Japan, South Korea and the Middle East for its horticultural products. Enditem