Kenyan entrepreneurs were yesterday petitioned to increase exports to the United States market that is valued at Sh4 billion annually.

Matanda Wabuyele, the Export Promotions Council chief executive, also called for diversification of the range of Kenyan exports to value added components.

"The challenge exporters face is not just increasing volume of exports to US, but also diversifying the range of exports by ensuring there was more value adding," he said. Wabuyele made the remarks during a workshop on doing business with US at a Nairobi hotel. The meeting focused on market possibilities in the Texas state, US.

The workshop was a prelude to the planned trade mission to Texas during the first week of April 2006. The EPC boss said Kenyan exports to the US amounted to about Sh4 billion against imports of Sh16 billion. The exports comprised of lower priced commodities, notably tea, coffee, textiles, apparels, pyrethrum, handicrafts and process nuts.

Kenya is a beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa), which provides preferential market access for Kenyan goods to the US.

Latest AGOA Trade Data currently available on AGOA.info


Click here to view a sector profile of Kenya’s bilateral trade with the United States, disaggregated by total exports and imports, AGOA exports and GSP exports.

Other regularly updated trade statistics on AGOA.info include: (click each link to view)