Green gram and cowpeas exports grew sharply in the quarter to September 2025, bucking a trend of slumps in the shipment of Kenya’s main food crops to lucrative markets due to a policy priority to service domestic consumers.Analysis of data by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) showed that shipments of green grams, cowpeas, and beans posted explosive growth in the quarter to September, with cowpea exports rising over 724 percent, driven by high demand from Asia and the Middle East, handing a boost to producers servicing the well-paying markets abroad. Contrastingly, exports of major cereals like rice and maize remained minimal amid a policy priority to satisfy local consumption in the wake of tight production volumes locally. Kenya’s rice exports slumped 99 percent to 12.23 tonnes in the quarter to September 2025, compared to 1,561.69 tonnes in a similar period of 2024, indicating a major shift of available supplies to the domestic market. Maize and wheat exports showed significant percentage growth from a very small base (increasing to 77.74 tonnes and 223 tonnes, respectively, although their absolute volumes remained negligible, continuing the trend of prioritising local consumption.“On the other hand, the pulse sector demonstrated growth, driving Kenya’s overall export performance. Green gram exports more than doubled, surging from 5,519.55 tonnes to 13,241.49 tonnes, with a particularly massive shipment in July 2025,” the regulator said. Cowpea exports saw an increase of over 724 percent, jumping from 645 tonnes to 5,317.41 tonnes, the quarterly data showed, while bean exports also grew by 14 percent to 8,059.55 tonnes. The only pulse that recorded a reduction was pigeon peas, which fell by 16 percent to 17,453.21 tonnes, though it remained the second-highest export crop by volume. Irish potato exports fell sharply by 95 percent to 14.94 tonnes.“In general, the period was marked by a strategic pivot where cereal exports were heavily constrained, while pulses, particularly green grams and cowpeas, flourished in the international market,” AFA said. “Kenya’s agricultural exports are highly concentrated in specific, strategic international markets. The data reveals a clear reliance on a few key destinations for each commodity,” it added. In the quarter to September, the export of pulses was mainly directed toward Asian markets. India was the near-total destination for cowpeas (99.95 percent) and the dominant buyer of pigeon peas (92.43 percent). Similarly, the bean market was led by India (40.03 percent) and Pakistan (32.77 percent). Green grams found their primary markets in Thailand (37.98 percent), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (20.60 percent), and Indonesia (20.28 percent).Thailand bought 5,029 tonnes of green gram from Kenya valued Sh554.79 million, while the UAE purchased 2,728 tonnes of the commodity valued Sh282.45million. Indonesia was also a big buyer of Kenya’s green grams in the quarter to September 2025, with 2,685tonnes valued Sh295.3 million bought. (ICE NAIROBI)

Fonte notizia: Business Daily