Eastern Africa's horticulture industry is shifting its focus from simply producing more flowers, fruits and vegetables to capturing a greater share of the value generated from them.
Stakeholders call for increased investment, stronger regional value chains and more sustainable production and trade systems.
Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA) Chairperson Dr Jacqueline Mkindi, the region's opportunity lies not only in increasing production but also in ensuring farmers and businesses benefit from more stages of the value chain.
“We must strengthen farmers' access to markets, finance, technology, knowledge and value-added opportunities,” Dr Mkindi said.
This emerged during the Regional Public-Private Dialogue on Horticultural Logistics and Trade Facilitation in Nairobi, where governments, industry leaders, development partners and private-sector players examined how the region can make horticulture a stronger engine of investment, employment and export growth.
The dialogue coincided with the official launch of the Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA), a private-sector-led regional platform bringing together national horticulture associations from nine countries.
Dr Mkindi’s message highlights a persistent concern within the industry where Eastern Africa produces significant volumes of horticultural commodities, but much of the higher-value activity associated with processing, packaging, branding and logistics can occur outside the region.
She said moving more of those activities closer to production areas could create additional employment, strengthen local businesses and increase returns to farmers.
Kenya's government has similarly called for the horticulture industry to move beyond volume and deepen value addition as part of efforts to strengthen export competitiveness.
The sector is a major source of foreign exchange, employment and rural livelihoods, making investment in its wider value chain an important economic priority.
She noted that unlocking that potential requires investment at every level, calling on farmers to access to affordable finance, technology and market information.
“Aggregators require collection and handling facilities. Exporters need modern packhouses, cold storage and dependable transport. Logistics companies require refrigerated equipment and efficient trade corridors, while investors need predictable policies, reliable infrastructure and commercially viable markets,” she said.
She noted that these interconnected requirements have made regional coordination increasingly important.
HoCEA has placed inclusive value-chain development, climate resilience, market access, cold-chain infrastructure and digital trade among its priority areas.
Development partners at the Nairobi dialogue also stressed that future investment must take account of climate and environmental pressures.
TradeMark Africa Director of Business Competitiveness Anataria Uwamariya identified logistics efficiency, climate resilience, digital trade and integration of horticulture into the African Continental Free Trade Area framework as areas requiring greater attention.
“The sustainability challenge is becoming particularly important as international buyers increasingly demand stronger environmental performance, traceability and quality assurance from suppliers,” said Uwamariya.
For Eastern African exporters, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
Investment in modern cold chains, renewable energy, digital traceability, efficient packhouses and greener transport systems could help businesses meet changing market requirements while reducing waste and improving resilience.
The region is also examining whether some horticultural products currently transported by air can be moved by sea.
A commercially viable shift from air to sea could help reduce freight costs and address environmental concerns, but stakeholders acknowledge that the transition will require dependable cold chains, efficient ports, appropriate packaging, predictable documentation and careful selection of products suitable for longer transit times.
For Dr Mkindi, investment should not be limited to attracting large international companies.
The region must also strengthen domestic investment and create opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in processing, logistics, technology, packaging and other horticulture-related services.
That approach could help ensure that regional horticulture generates value beyond the point of harvest.
By bringing national horticulture associations together, the council hopes to provide a stronger collective voice on investment, trade, infrastructure and policy while allowing countries to identify common priorities.
HoCEA Secretary General Clement Tulezi said the council should be judged by what changes for businesses and farmers rather than by the number of meetings it holds.
“Our success must be measured by barriers removed, markets opened, costs reduced, consignments protected, businesses supported and jobs created,” he said.
He noted that the ambition is to build a horticulture industry in which farmers earn more from their produce, local enterprises participate more deeply in value chains, investors have greater confidence, products move efficiently and sustainably, and a larger share of the value generated by horticulture remains within the region.