Kenya eyes EU market for mango exports

Measures to improve the quality of Kenyan mangoes are beginning to bear fruit, hence the African cou…

Measures to improve the quality of Kenyan mangoes are beginning to bear fruit, hence the African country has set its sights on the lucrative European Union market for exports.

Kenya Plant Inspectorate Health Service (Kephis) Managing Director Esther Kimani said the agency introduced self-regulatory measures in August 2014 to ensure production of quality mangoes in a bid to access the export market.

"The International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) no. 26 allows for the creation of pest-free areas to control the fruit flies in some region. We have managed to reduce the pests by 80 per cent and we hope that soon those mangoes will access the European market," she added.

A recent survey conducted in several farms in mango growing areas by Kephis shows there has been a drastic reduction of flies following distribution of more than 6,000 pheromone traps in Elgeyo-Marakwet County alone, with data indicating that great strides have been made in improving the quality of farm produce.

Horticulture produce which includes fruits, vegetables and rose flowers, earns an estimated Sh100 billion annually in the EU market, and this is expected to rise with the addition of mangoes into the export basket.

Elyeyo-Marakwet County Executive in charge of Agriculture Mr Shadrack Yatich noted that the county has a huge potential for mango production.

He said through an ambitious subsidy programme, the county has distributed more than 15,000 improved varieties of mango seedlings to farmers to boost production.