Kenya’s crucial agricultural export sector is facing a significant slump, with new data revealing a sharp decline in earnings from coffee, flowers, and vegetables in June.
- •The latest report from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows a worrying trend that could impact the country’s economic outlook.
- •The volume of coffee exports plummeted from 7.4 thousand metric tonnes (MT) in May 2025 to just 4.6 thousand MT in June, causing earnings to fall from KSh 7.4 billion to KSh 4.5 billion.
- •Compounding the issue, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange was closed for recess during the entire month, further exacerbating the drop in trade.
The horticulture sector, another major foreign exchange earner, also saw a broad downturn. Fresh cut-flower exports decreased in volume from 12.6 thousand MT to 10.7 thousand MT, with earnings dropping from KSh 7.9 billion to KSh 6.7 billion. Similarly, vegetable exports fell from 6.5 thousand MT to 5.3 thousand MT, and earnings for this category declined from KSh 1.9 billion to KSh 1.5 billion. While the report noted a slight drop in the volume of fruit exports, it was the only category to see an increase in earnings, which provided a small glimmer of hope amidst the wider slump.
“The collective decline in these key agricultural commodities signals a difficult period for Kenyan farmers and exporters, raising concerns about the sector’s resilience and its contribution to the national economy,” KNBS said in the report.
According to the report, the sugarcane sector showed mixed performance in June 2025. The volume of cane deliveries to factories increased from 383.1 thousand metric tonnes (MT) in May 2025 to 477.4 thousand MT in June 2025. However, the cumulative total deliveries for the first half of 2025 were 3,617.5 thousand MT, which represents a decrease from the 4,573.7 thousand MT delivered during the corresponding period in 2024.