Kenya’s Sisal Export Earnings Decline

According to a report from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) released on Friday, Kenya’s earnings from sisal exports decreased by 11% in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2022 as the East African country exported lower volumes of sisal fibre to major markets like Nigeria.

The decline in shipments was attributed by AFA to shipping delays at main export destinations’ ports.

Kenya earned 17.7 million US dollars during this period, with sisal production of 11,432 metric tonnes, compared to 20 million dollars and 14,806 metric tonnes during the same period in 2022.

According to the AFA research, the country’s sisal fetched a higher price, averaging 1.54 dollars per kilometer, up from 1.33 dollars in the same period in 2022.

According to AFA, the price fluctuation can be linked to market forces relating to supply and demand in the global sisal market.

Kenya gained 3.6 million dollars from sisal shipments to Nigeria, its main export destination, according to AFA data.

The majority of Kenyan sisal exported is farmed by smallholder farmers who have moved to commercial farming as exports expand, resulting in higher incomes.

Initially, these farmers planted sisal as a boundary crop, conserving soil along contours. Kenya earned 40.7 million dollars from Sisal in 2022, up from 38 million dollars in 2021, making it one of the country’s fastest-growing top foreign exchange-earners.