President William Ruto speaks during a diaspora Town Hall meeting in Beijing/PCS
Kenya will be seeking preferential access to the Chinese market for Kenyan tea, coffee, macadamia, and President William Ruto has revealed.
Ruto, who is on a state visit to China, noted that the four agricultural products are subject to tariffs, thereby impeding their export to the Asian nation.
“Chinese companies admit that Kenyan tea and coffee are premium, but today, they are subject to tariffs, and that is what impedes their export,” he explained.
Speaking a during a diaspora Town Hall meeting in Beijing, Ruto said Kenya is also intending to export processed agricultural products to China.
“We will discuss how we can have a preferential trade agreement to give Kenya preferential access the same way we have AGOA, which gives duty-free, quota-free access of our goods to the US,” he stated.
"That way we can export more to China and export better products.”
Kenya has signed a multi-billion-shilling agreement with China during Ruto’s visit to the economic powerhouse.
Kenya’s avocado exports to China increased 10 times in 2023 compared to 2022, according to data from Chinese authorities.
The data shows that China imported 4,324.1 tonnes of avocados from Kenya in 2023, compared to 443.6 tonnes in 2022
Kenya started exporting avocados to China in August 2022 after years of negotiations, and there has been a steady increase.
In recent years, China has emerged as a major importer of Kenyan macadamia, particularly favouring raw, in-shell nuts.
Kenya is among the top global producers of macadamia nuts, ranking third after South Africa and Australia.
During the visit, talks between Ruto and his host, President Xi Jinping, will centre around China's investment in Kenya's critical infrastructural projects, strengthening of the Global South cooperation, regional peace and security, among other issues of global concern.
China has played a crucial role in delivering some of Kenya's signature infrastructure projects, among them the Standard Gauge Railway, Nairobi Expressway, Lamu Port, and the Kipevu Oil Terminal.
