Kenya’s agriculture sector grew by 6.6 per cent in 2018 from 1.8 per cent recorded in 2017 due to favorable weather conditions for both crops and livestock production, occasioned by the long rains in 2018 according to the Economic Survey 2019 report released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.

In this, maize production increased by 26 per cent from 35.4m bags in 2017 to 44.6m bags in 2018. The production of tea, coffee and sugarcane increased by 12.1, seven and 10.4 per cent, respectively in 2018. The quantity of horticulture produce exported increased by 6.1 per cent to 322.6 thousand tonnes while the volume of marketed milk increased by 18.4 per cent to 634.3m liters in 2018.

The value of marketed agricultural production has been increasing over the last four years and increased further by 11.4 per cent to Sh497.9bn in 2018. The value of horticulture exports increased from by 33.3 per cent to Sh153.7bn in 2018 on account of higher production and improved international prices.

The value of marketed livestock and livestock products increased by 8.3 per cent to Sh146.8bn in 2018. However, earnings from tea and coffee decreased by 5.3 per cent and 7.5 per cent to Sh127.7bn and Sh14.8bn, respectively, in 2018, despite increased production volumes. The quantity of marketed tea increased from 439.9 thousand tonnes in 2017 to 493.0 thousand tonnes in 2018.

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Earnings from sugar cane increased marginally from Sh20.1bn in 2017 to Sh 0.6bn in 2018 while the value of marketed wheat more than doubled from Sh5.3bn in 2017 toSh11.7bn in 2018 due to higher production and improved prices. Production of wheat increased from 165.2 thousand tonnes in 2017 to 336.6 thousand tonnes in 2018.