Kenya Turns to India for Bigger Markets, Local Agro-Investment and a Fairer Trade Balance

Kenya is pressing India to open up more space for Kenyan agricultural exports while encouraging Indian companies to invest in local agricultural production, processing and technology as the two countries seek to deepen their commercial ties.

The push was made by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe during bilateral consultations with India’s High Commissioner, where Kenya raised market-access concerns affecting products including tea, coffee, avocados, seeds, moringa and raspberries.

The discussions come against a substantial trade imbalance. Data from the High Commission of India shows that Indian exports to Kenya have historically been considerably larger than Kenyan exports to India, with petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, machinery and manufactured goods among India’s major exports to Kenya, while Kenya primarily sells products such as tea, coffee, vegetables and soda ash to the Indian market.

CS Kagwe argued that the scale of Kenya’s demand for Indian machinery, equipment, pharmaceuticals and other manufactured products should be matched by stronger opportunities for Kenyan producers to access the Indian market.

He called for greater reciprocity in market access, particularly for agricultural commodities where Kenyan farmers and exporters have the potential to expand sales if tariff, sanitary and other market-entry barriers are addressed.

The issue has gained importance as bilateral trade continues to grow. India and Kenya recorded total trade of USD4.31 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, up from USD3.45 billion the previous year, according to India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The two sides also discussed market-access issues and greater trade diversification during the 10th India-Kenya Joint Trade Committee meeting held in Nairobi in April.

Kenya is also seeking to move beyond a traditional export-import relationship by attracting Indian investment into agricultural technology and local manufacturing.

Indian companies were encouraged to explore opportunities in agricultural machinery manufacturing, drone technology, digital agriculture, soil-health solutions and other technologies that could support Kenyan production. Such investment could also strengthen local value addition, skills development and employment while reducing reliance on imported finished technologies.

The discussions build on renewed institutional cooperation between the two countries. In February 2026, Kenya and India held the first meeting of their Joint Working Group on Agriculture, where officials discussed agricultural research, market access, farm mechanisation, training and capacity building.

Kenya has already secured some progress in opening the Indian market. India granted market access to Kenyan avocados in 2023, with the first consignment ceremonially dispatched from Nairobi to India on September 16 that year after technical requirements were completed.

Kenya is now seeking to build on that breakthrough by widening the range of agricultural products entering the Indian market and ensuring that existing opportunities translate into meaningful volumes for local producers.

Also present during the consultations were India’s Deputy High Commissioner Mr Sushil Prasad, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

For Kenya, the focus is increasingly on turning bilateral relations into practical gains for farmers and exporters through wider market access, stronger agricultural value chains, technology transfer and investment that supports production and manufacturing within the country.