By Ngwono Bw’Otwere
Kenya is intensifying its push to open up the Chinese market for its farmers, with Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe urging Beijing to drop steep tariffs on coffee, tea and avocados.
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In Nairobi, Kagwe met senior officials from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC), led by Vice Minister Wang Jun.
The delegation included Sun Renhong, Director General of Duty Collection; Zheng Wei, Director of Animal and Plant Quarantine; Sun Junchao, Deputy Director of the General Office; and Jiang Huixin, Deputy Director of International Cooperation.
Also present were Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan, Minister Counsellor Zhou Zhencheng and Second Secretary Zeng Hui.
Kagwe told the visitors that current duties — 8% on non‑roasted coffee, 20% on roasted coffee, 15% on tea and up to 20% on avocados — are crippling Kenyan competitiveness.
“Kenya imports far more from China than we export. This deficit is unsustainable. Tariff elimination and rapid clearance of our export applications must now be prioritized,” he said.
The imbalance is stark: in 2024 Kenya imported USD 4.5 billion worth of goods from China but exported only USD 290 million, mostly raw commodities.
Kagwe stressed that correcting this requires China to open its market at zero duty. He noted that Kenya has already submitted sanitary and phytosanitary documentation through KEPHIS for fresh mango, dried chillies, green grams, dried fruits such as mango, banana and pineapple, and plant‑derived medicinal materials — all awaiting GACC’s final approval.
He also pressed for long‑delayed approvals of livestock exports, some pending for more than two years, calling them “a historic breakthrough” that could transform incomes for farmers and processors.
Beyond trade, Kagwe proposed deeper cooperation in agricultural research, value chain upgrading, laboratory and standards strengthening, and specialist exchanges and training to help Kenya meet China’s scale and quality demands.
“Kenya is ready, aligned and committed. It is time for policy commitments to translate into real volumes, real shipments, and real opportunities for our farmers,” Kagwe concluded.
The talks, officials say, lay the groundwork for what could be a historic shift in Kenya–China agricultural trade, unlocking billions for Kenyan producers if Beijing acts.
