Kenya is asking China to remove tariffs on key agricultural products like coffee, tea, avocados, and mangoes to help boost exports and reduce the growing trade gap between the two countries.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe met senior officials from China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) in Beijing to discuss the issue.
The Chinese team was led by Vice Minister Wang Jun and included directors responsible for duty collection, quarantine, and international trade cooperation.
Kagwe highlighted that Kenyan goods currently face high tariffs in China. Non-roasted coffee is taxed at 8 per cent, roasted coffee at 20 per cent, tea at 15 per cent, and avocados at up to 20 per cent.
He urged China to move quickly toward zero-duty status for these products, saying it would support Kenyan farmers and help balance trade.
He also pointed out the current trade imbalance. In 2024, Kenya imported goods worth about Ksh 583 billion from China but exported only Ksh 37 billion, mostly raw agricultural products. Kagwe called the situation unsustainable and stressed the need for urgent action.
“When the President was in Kenya, they developed a very robust trading agreement which we in the Ministry of Agriculture would like to take advantage of,” he said.
Kenya and China are now finalising a trade framework that could remove tariffs on major agricultural exports. Kagwe said Kenya has completed technical submissions for products such as fresh mangoes, dried chillies, green grams, dried fruits, and plant-based medicinal products.
The CS also called for closer cooperation in agricultural research, value chain development, lab improvements, and specialist training, including exchanges of scientists and technical staff.
He emphasised the need to clear pending livestock export applications, some of which have been delayed for over two years. Access to the Chinese market for Kenyan meat, he said, would be a major milestone.
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