Kenya will next month host an international conference on promoting food safety and good agricultural practices.
The GLOBALG.A.P TOUR conference will be held at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi from March 28-30.
GLOBALG.A.P is an internationally recognised certification standard for farm produce. It has partnered with Rootooba, a Kenyan agricultural-based technical support provider, to hold the conference.
Rootooba technical lead Charity Mutegi said there will be a private sector driven discussion on ensuring the burden of compliance is practical and affordable.
“Private sector knows best how and where the shoe pinches most, and hence remains critical in providing solutions,” she said.
The conference will seek to promote good agricultural practices, safe and sustainable farming, market compliance, access to national and international trade networks, and responsiveness to consumer demands.
It is also expected to steer conversations around expanding opportunities for Kenyan produce into untapped regional and global markets.
Mutegi said discussions at the conference will focus on major issues affecting trade in fresh produce in regional and global markets.
“These include changing pesticide regimes, implications of the lifting of the GMO ban on Kenya’s fresh produce export markets, testing solutions, harmonising market standards for the benefit of producers and exporters and financing solutions,” she said.
Mutegi said some of the other expected outcomes from the conference include increased awareness on emerging global markets for Kenyan produce, with a special focus on the US.
“The recommendations from the event are expected to form grounds for a follow-up with relevant government agencies and the private sector, including the National Horticulture Taskforce, GLOBALG.A.P National Technical Working Group and Agriculture and Food Authority, among others,” she said.
Mutegi said since the first Kenyan tour stop in 2019, the interest in adopting GLOBALG.A.P standards and compliance with other international market standards by local producers has increased.
“Additionally, there has been efforts by major development partners to support market growth for agrofood products as a means to foster local and international trade,” she said.
Data from the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya indicates that only four per cent of the country’s horticultural produce (fruits and vegetables), is exported, while 96 per cent is consumed locally.
This is despite the fact that the exported produce makes a significant contribution to the country’s GDP.
The data from FPEAK also shows that 95 per cent of flowers grown locally are exported to various international markets with more markets having opened in the UAE and US.
Despite the challenges facing the crops sector, such as the disruption caused by Covid-19, the export earnings for 2020 were Sh151 billion.
Fruits earned the country Sh18 billion, vegetables Sh24 billion and Sh108 billion from flowers.
The conference will bring together an array of industry leaders, including development partners led by USAID implementing partners, sector associations FPEAK and Agrochemicals Association of Kenya.
Others are Avocado Exporters Association of Kenya, Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation, Agriculture and Food Authority, producers and private sector players.
Source: The Star