Kenya’s benchmarked certification system could become the blueprint to benefit the whole of Africa, GlobalGAP smallholders ambassador Stephen Mbithi has forecast.
“We would hope to create a culture of compliance on fresh produce standards across the continent through the Horticultural Council of Africa,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kenya is scaling up the drive to increase its number of registered farmers from 300 to potentially tens of thousands.
One decision which counters criticism that the system is too expensive is to cap the cost of certification for smallholders with less than one hectare to a maximum of $10 per year.
Kenya’s fresh produce and flower exports at retail are valued at $1 billion. This, however, only accounts for four per cent of potential, said Mbithi. There are more than 1.5 million horticultural farms, of which only 10 per cent are export orientated.
