East Africa targets costly horticulture trade bottlenecks at Nairobi Summit

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 16— East Africa’s horticulture industry is preparing for a regional push to cut the cost and delays of moving fresh produce across borders, with exporters facing expensive freight, weak cold chains and fragmented trade procedures that threaten the competitiveness of a highly perishable business.

Government officials, exporters, logistics companies, technology firms, horticulture associations and development partners will meet in Nairobi on September 22–23 for a regional dialogue aimed at identifying practical measures to ease the movement of horticultural products from farms to markets.

The meeting will also mark the launch of the Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA), a private-sector-led platform intended to give the region’s horticulture industry a coordinated voice in discussions with governments and regional institutions.

The council is being established with national horticulture associations across Eastern Africa and with support from TradeMark Africa.

The push comes as producers and exporters contend with a logistics chain in which delays can quickly translate into losses because fruits, vegetables and flowers have limited shelf lives.

High freight charges, inadequate cold-storage capacity, weak first-mile collection systems and delays at ports and border crossings are among the issues expected to dominate the Nairobi talks.

The industry also faces fragmented digital trade systems, differing sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, certification procedures and other non-tariff barriers that can make cross-border trade more costly and complicated.

Logistics challenge

The logistics challenge extends beyond international transport.

Poor first-mile systems can make it difficult and expensive to move produce from farms to collection points, while gaps in cold storage and handling infrastructure can increase the risk of losses before products reach major markets.

For exporters, border and port procedures add another layer of uncertainty, particularly when different countries apply varying documentation, certification and sanitary requirements.

Dr Jacqueline Mkindi, interim chair of HoCEA and chief executive officer of the Tanzania Horticultural Association, said the problems cut across the horticultural value chain, affecting smallholder farmers, women, young people, small businesses and logistics providers.

The Nairobi dialogue is therefore designed to bring public and private-sector actors into the same discussion, with the organisers seeking solutions that can be implemented across borders rather than separately by individual countries.

Four key areas

The two-day meeting will focus on four areas considered critical to improving the competitiveness of Eastern Africa’s horticulture sector.

The first is trade logistics and cold-chain systems, including the infrastructure and transport requirements needed to move perishable products efficiently.

The second is digital trade and smart corridors, with participants examining how technology can improve information flows, reduce transaction costs and make cross-border movement more predictable.

The third is sanitary and phytosanitary measures and non-tariff barriers. Discussions will focus on how countries can simplify procedures while maintaining the health and safety standards required for agricultural trade.

The fourth is market access under the African Continental Free Trade Area, with stakeholders examining opportunities to expand horticultural trade within Africa.

Organisers are positioning the Nairobi meeting as more than a forum for listing problems.

Technical discussions on the first day will be used to validate priority constraints and identify potential interventions and investments.

The second day will focus on translating those priorities into policy and investment commitments, including responsibilities and follow-up actions.

The meeting is expected to produce a Nairobi Communiqué setting out agreed priorities, responsible institutions and proposed implementation timelines.

The launch of HoCEA will provide a further platform for the industry to define its immediate agenda and priorities for its first 90 days.

For the regional horticulture industry, the central test will be whether the new coordination mechanism can help convert longstanding complaints about transport, border procedures, infrastructure and market access into measures that reduce the cost and uncertainty of trading across Eastern Africa.

TradeMark Africa has been supporting work involving governments, regional organisations, businesses and other stakeholders to address trade barriers and improve infrastructure, standards and digital trade systems.