Kenya Trade Network Agency has unveiled several initiatives to improve the ease of doing business for Avocado and Fish in the current financial year 21/22.
The agency’s mandate is to facilitate cross border trade and establish, manage and implement the National Electronic Single Window System says the trade procedures will lower administrative burden costs for traders.
Kenya mainly imports frozen tilapia, frozen mackerels, sardines, prawns and salmon among others while the country exports frozen Nile perch, tuna, octopus, whole tilapia and lobsters notably to the European Union.
Avocado on the other hand has been a major contributor to the earnings in the horticulture sector. In 2021, Kenya topped Africa’s avocado exports and was among the world’s top 10 producers. Avocado farmers earned KSh14.48 billion between January to November 2021.
KenTrade is in partnership with GIZ in this simplification exercise.
Other stakeholders involved in the exercise include KEPHIS, Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD), Directorate Public Health, Port Health Services, Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), Kenya Fisheries Services, County Directorate of Fisheries, State Department of Trade (NTFC) Kenya Fish Processors and Exporters Association (AFIPEK), Avocado Society of Kenya, Avocado Exporters Association of Kenya.
KenTrade has been able to map out procedures for ninety-five (95) commodities, which include all procedures of export, import and transit on the trade information portal, dubbed InfoTradeKenya Portal.
“Upon mapping the procedures, the team started simplification of trade procedures in 2018. To date, procedures for export of coffee, tea, meat & meat products, flowers, nuts & oils, and cotton have been simplified, reducing cost and time for a first-time trader, with simplification of avocado and fish ongoing in the current financial year,” KenTrade Director, Trade Facilitation David Ngarama said when a Nigerian delegation who visited KenTrade head offices in Nairobi on a benchmarking exercise.
The simplification process has reduced the administrative and cost burden incurred by businesses, in the registration procedure from Kes.40,197.35 (USD 402) to Ksh .15,287.29 (USD 153) thus saving businesses a total of KES 24,910.06(USD 250), approximately 62 per cent of the total cost.
The delegation from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment in Nigeria visited KenTrade’s head office in Nairobi to benchmark Kenya’s success with the InfoTradeKenya Portal, as they plan to launch their own national trade information portal in the course of this month.
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