Kenya's coffee exports up 12 pct in 2024

NAIROBI, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's coffee exports in 2024 increased by 12 percent to 53,519 tonnes, according to an economic report released on Wednesday.

The report from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) said that this was a rise from 47,861 tonnes in 2023, with the exports boosted by increased shipments to destination markets.

During the year, Kenya earned 38.4 billion shillings (about 296.8 million U.S. dollars) from its coffee exports, up from 251 million dollars in 2023, the KNBS said.

According to the government statistics agency, the bulk of the exports were done in the second and third quarters, where shipments stood at 15,903 tonnes and 17,017 tonnes, respectively.

Kenya has carried out several reforms, which the government expects would double coffee output from the current average of 50,000 metric tonnes annually in the next four years.

These include the introduction of prompt payments to farmers, subsidized fertilizer, and cheaper loans from a 27.1-million-dollar revolving fund.

Coffee is one of Kenya's top foreign exchange earners in the agricultural sector, with tea and horticulture being the others.

The top destinations for the produce from the East African nation are Belgium, Germany, the United States, South Korea, Norway, Sweden, Australia, and Denmark. In Africa, South Africa is the top buyer of Kenya's coffee.