Nairobi, Kenya — According to data issued by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), exports to Ethiopia increased by 68 percent in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the same time in 2020.
Increased food exports to the East African country, which has been rocked by a political crisis over a war between government forces and the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Army (TPLF) in the north, were credited with the increase from 16 million USD to 52 million USD.
The World Food Programme (WFP) of the United Nations (UN) estimated that more than nine million people in northern Ethiopia needed food assistance.
Kenya’s export value increased by 7.5 percent overall, according to the KNBS Balance of Payments report, with Africa accounting for the largest value at 6 million USD.
‘Part of this gain was due to an increase in the value of domestic exports of infant food preparations to Ethiopia and electric generating sets and converters to Tanzania,’ according to the report.
Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Ethiopia were the top contributors, each contributing 169 million USD, 115 million USD, 63 million USD and 52 million USD.
Tanzanian exports climbed by 31% to 13,016 billion dollars, owing to increasing exports of listed electric generating units and converters.
Domestic exports (goods cultivated and manufactured in Kenya) totaled 1.4 Billion USD in the first quarter of 2020, up 10.6% from the previous quarter.
Domestic exports of horticulture, clothes and accessories, culinary items and preparations, and titanium ores and concentrates accounted for the majority of the rise.
Export earnings from the European Union increased by 6 million USD, exports to Asia increased by 3.3 percent, and exports to the United States of America increased by 31.2 percent.
The slow growth in Asia was partly due to a decline in domestic tea exports to Pakistan, according to KNBS. Increased exports to America were partly due to an increase in exports of macadamia nuts and articles of apparel and clothing accessories, while the slow growth in Asia was partly due to a decline in domestic tea exports to Pakistan.
