Kenya’s agriculture sector witnessed a robust growth in the year 2024, hitting a record Ksh.1.7 trillion, supported by increased crop yields, livestock production, and sustained government intervention despite inconsistent rainfall patterns.
According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the Agriculture Value Added at constant prices rose by 4.4 percent, increasing from Ksh.1,634.1 billion in 2023 to Ksh.1,706.0 billion in 2024.
This performance was attributed to favorable long rains during the March–May season, although the October–December short rains were described as erratic and poorly distributed.
Maize production declined by 6.1 percent to 44.7 million bags, largely due to the unfavorable short rains. However, tea production rose by 4.2 percent to 2.69 million tonnes, driven by abundant rainfall in tea-growing areas.
The dairy sector showed resilience, with milk production increasing by 1.0 percent to 5.33 billion litres, and marketed milk volumes growing significantly by 12.0 percent to 908.4 million litres.
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Coffee output also improved, rising by 1.6 percent to 49.5 thousand tonnes, signaling gradual recovery in the sub-sector.
Despite this, the export volume of fresh horticultural produce fell by 14.1 percent to 402.2 thousand tonnes. Nonetheless, horticulture retained its position as Kenya’s top export earner, bringing in Ksh.203.6 billion, up from KSh 187.4 billion in 2023. Tea exports followed closely, generating Ksh.189.1 billion.
A standout performer was the sugar sub-sector, where production surged by 68.7 percent to 9.4 million tonnes. Earlier in 2024, President William Ruto announced a Ksh.150 million bonus payment to sugarcane farmers supplying Mumias Sugar Factory, the first bonus payment of its kind in the industry’s history.
The sugar industry is a major economic pillar, supporting over 8 million Kenyans and directly benefiting more than 300,000 small-scale farmers, who contribute over 90 percent of the cane milled locally.
Kenya’s sugar production currently stands at around 800,000 metric tonnes annually, against a national demand of 1 million metric tonnes, necessitating imports to fill the gap.
Total earnings from marketed agricultural production rose by 7.2 percent to Ksh.690.0 billion.
