Kenya’s agricultural exports to China will begin entering the Chinese market duty-free starting May 1, 2026, a move expected to significantly boost export opportunities for Kenyan farmers and agribusinesses.
Mutahi Kagwe, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, announced the milestone following a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan. He said the development marks the implementation phase of trade agreements secured during William Ruto’s state visit to China.
According to Kagwe, the removal of tariffs forms part of broader commitments between Kenya and China to deepen agricultural trade and expand market access for Kenyan products.
“This is the implementation stage of agreements that were carried forward by His Excellency President William Ruto during his visit to China. It opens a major opportunity for Kenyan farmers and exporters to access one of the world’s largest markets,” Kagwe said.
Under the new arrangement, Kenyan agricultural products will enter China at zero tariff, eliminating duties that previously reduced the competitiveness of Kenyan exports in the Chinese market.
Products expected to benefit from the duty-free access include tea, coffee, fresh and frozen avocados, macadamia nuts, flowers, fresh horticultural produce, vegetables and herbs, as well as other agricultural commodities produced across the country.
Previously, many of these products attracted significant import duties. Tea and coffee products faced tariffs ranging between about 6 and 15 percent, while macadamia nuts attracted duties of roughly 10 to 15 percent.
Fresh horticultural produce and vegetables often faced tariffs of between 10 and 25 percent, while cut flowers attracted duties of about 4 percent. The removal of these tariffs is expected to improve the competitiveness of Kenyan produce in China’s consumer market of more than 1.4 billion people.
Ambassador Guo said agricultural trade between the two countries has been steadily growing, noting that Kenya is already an important agricultural exporter to China.
She revealed that in 2025 Kenya’s exports of coffee and tea to China reached $24.46 million, accounting for 10.8 percent of Kenya’s agricultural exports to the Asian country and representing an 8.8 percent year-on-year increase. Exports of fresh and frozen avocados as well as macadamia nuts reached $19.9 million, also representing 8.8 percent of Kenya’s agricultural exports to China.
Guo said China remains committed to expanding agricultural cooperation with Kenya under the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation framework, including strengthening agricultural value chains, supporting market access and enhancing technical cooperation.
Kagwe urged Kenyan exporters and investors to take advantage of the expanded market access by increasing production and focusing on value-added agricultural exports.
He encouraged the Kenyan private sector to partner with Chinese companies to establish agro-processing industries locally, saying such partnerships would help the country move from exporting raw commodities to processed products while creating jobs and boosting farmer incomes.
The Cabinet Secretary also emphasized the importance of strict quality control, urging the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to maintain strong quality assurance systems to ensure Kenyan exports meet Chinese phytosanitary standards.
The meeting was also attended by KEPHIS Chief Executive Officer Theophilus Mutui, who oversees export certification and phytosanitary compliance for Kenyan agricultural exports.
Officials say the new zero-tariff access could mark a turning point for Kenya’s agricultural exports by opening one of the world’s largest consumer markets to local producers while strengthening economic cooperation between Nairobi and Beijing.
