Agriculture

Kenya’s largest contributor to GDP faced significant hurdles in 2015. Exports were hit by a slowdown abroad, and the continued depreciation of the shilling led to a jump in production costs. However, rising demand both at home and regionally and increased production levels are contributing to greater foreign investment, enabling the sector to maintain its economic importance. Plummeting global commodity prices have had a serious impact on tea export revenues; imports of critical crops like sugar and maize have risen as a result of inefficiencies in these subsectors; economic slowdowns in Europe and Asia have weakened global demand for horticulture exports; and the shilling’s ongoing depreciation has exacerbated the sector’s rising production costs. However, the government and private industry are aware of the challenges and have been working to address them.

This chapter contains an interview with Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman and CEO, Fresh Del Monte Produce.