KENYA FARMERS MEET DUBAI

A past conference held last year in Dubai. Images Courtesy of farmlandgrab.org

Kenyan farmer tends to her maize plantation. Images Courtesy of Google

The third edition of the Meet the Farmers conference will take place at the Tribe Hotel in Westlands Nairobi Kenya on the 4th September 2018. The forum which connects Kenyans farmers to investors, agricultural experts, and financiers based in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai and the Gulf Cooperation Council will aim to facilitate exports of various agricultural exports to the said entities, technical assistance in commercialization of Agri-businesses, and injection of direct ofreign investment through provision of loan facilities to farmers who wish to borrow the same.

Since 2005 exports from Kenya to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has grown at double digits (16.44%) with 2009 recording the highest rate of exports (41.7%) to reach Ksh 10.7 Billion this according to the Economic Survey Report 2010. This has mainly been attributed to growth in exports of flower products to the Emirates; a nation which in future hopes to surpass Rotterdam; the Netherlands as the largest flower market and the short flight distance compared to exports to Europe and the United States (It take 4 Hours of flight from Kenya to UAE compared to over 20 hour flights to European countries.

The renewed interest in horticultural product exports by the UAE from Kenya and which the forum hopes to increase is welcome boast to Kenyans who wish to seek employment opportunities in agricultural exports.