Kenya eyes new horticulture market in Qatar

Speaking in Doha during the International Horticultural Expo 2023, Linturi said Kenya has not exploited the trade opportunities available in the West Asian nation which is a potential market for Kenyan horticulture exports.

The CS assured Kenyan horticultural sector players that his ministry is keen to help entrepreneurs to expand their export market in the Asian market, especially in Qatar. 

“In line with President William Ruto’s Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda (Beta), we are seeking to create new market opportunities for our farmers. We must invest in agriculture because it’s key to Kenya's economy, contributing 33 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the sector employs more than 40 per cent of the total population and more than 70 per cent of Kenya's rural people,” Linturi pointed out. 

International Horticultural Expo 2023, the biggest of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa, is held under the theme “Green Desert, Better Environment”. The horticulture Expo is also the first to ever take place in an area with a dry climate.

The Cabinet Secretary also attended a bilateral meeting with investors from Qatar who are keen to invest in Kenya’s horticultural sector. 

"We want investors from Qatar to take advantage of the opportunities available in the Kenyan horticultural sector to boost sales of perishable goods into the Qatar market," the CS said.

Meanwhile, Linturi has further appealed to the Qatar government to lift the ban on import of livestock and meat products from Kenya in a bid to boost the local meat industry.

In October 2021, Middle East countries lifted a ban on Kenya’s meat following the containment of the Rift Valley Fever disease that led to restrictions. However, Qatar is yet to lift the ban.

Linturi was accompanied by the Kenyan Ambassador to the State of Qatar, Boniface Nduva Mwilu.

The envoy appealed to Kenyan entrepreneurs to explore the trade opportunities in Qatar to boost Kenya’s export earnings. 

“There exists enormous trade opportunities in Qatar especially for horticulture products because of the harsh climatic conditions in Asia which doesn’t support the horticultural sector,” said Mwilu. 

The International Horticultural Expo 2023 Doha officially launched on Monday at the all-green Al Bidda Park in Doha and it’s expected to run for six months until March 2024.