Agricultural, Forestry & Fishing Sector Grows by 5.2 Percent in First Half of 2018

The Agricultural, Forestry and Fishing sector grew by 5.2 percent compared to 1.0 percent in a similar period of 2017.

This is according to the recent Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) Quarterly Gross Domestic Product report which attributed the growth of the sector to have been supported by favorable weather conditions during the fourth quarter of 2017 and onset of long rains in early March 2018.

According to the report, largely improved growths were recorded in most sub-sectors except Fishing, where the performance remained subdued during the quarter under review.

The volume of tea produced rose by 10.7 percent in the first quarter of 2018 mainly attributable to ideal weather conditions that prevailed during the quarter under review.

Similarly, the volume of cane deliveries rallied from a slump (29.8 percent) in the first quarter of 2017 to increase by 17.3 percent in the review quarter. However, the sector’s performance was partly curtailed by a notable decline in the volume of coffee produced during the period under review.

The volume of horticultural crop produce rose significantly during the quarter under review except that of vegetables that declined by 2.9 percent. Specifically, the volume of cut flowers and fruits exported increased by 12.4 and 15.3 percent, respectively during the review period. As a result, the value of the horticultural crop exports rose by 39.1 percent to stand at 44.0 billion shillings in the quarter under review.

In the dairy sub-sector, the volume of milk delivered to processors rose significantly (22.8 percent) compared to a depressed performance reported in the corresponding quarter of 2017. The improved performance was mainly driven by sufficient rains during the quarter under review that consequently ensured availability of pastures.