Nine Eastern African nations launch Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa
Stakeholders are looking to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand intra-African horticultural trade.
KENYA – Horticulture industry players from nine Eastern African countries have launched the Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA) in Nairobi, bringing together national associations to push for fewer trade barriers, better logistics and stronger market access.
The council launched on September 22 and comprises Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, according to HoCEA.
HoCEA Chairperson Dr. Jacqueline Mkindi said the council was established to strengthen regional coordination and develop a common agenda for horticultural trade, competitiveness, and inclusive growth.
“Our agenda is to produce nationally but also conduct regionally and compete globally,” Mkindi said.
The move comes as producers and exporters face high freight costs, border and port delays, inadequate cold-chain infrastructure, fragmented digital systems, and differences in sanitary and phytosanitary requirements and certification procedures, the council said.
Industry representatives also raised concerns about post-harvest losses, estimated at 30% to 80% in some parts of the value chain, and called for greater investment in collection centers, cold storage, and farmer training.
Meanwhile, the council has identified five priority areas: market access and trade facilitation; cold-chain infrastructure and trade corridors; digital trade and traceability; inclusive value-chain development; and climate resilience and sustainable production.
Kenya’s Deputy Director for Internal Trade, Matthew Komen, said individual countries or businesses could not address the challenges alone, calling for coordinated public-private action.
Komen said Kenya exports about 467,000 tonnes of horticultural produce annually valued at US$1.143 billion and is expanding cold-storage facilities along the Northern Corridor and at Inland Container Depots while strengthening electronic cargo tracking and single-window systems.
In addition, stakeholders are looking to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand intra-African horticultural trade, noting that greater regional trade, combined with processing, packaging and branding, could help countries retain more value from agricultural production.
HoCEA Secretary General Clement Tulezi said rising freight costs, taxes, and levies were pressuring the flower industry and called for faster payment of VAT refunds. Industry figures, according to Tulezi, put outstanding refunds owed to Kenya’s flower sector at about Sh12 billion (US$93 million).
Development partners, including TradeMark Africa and the European Union, have called for more efficient logistics, climate-resilient supply chains, stronger quality infrastructure, and greater use of digital trade systems.
Finally, the Nairobi dialogue is expected to produce an action roadmap outlining priority interventions, responsible institutions, and timelines.
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