Notably, export earnings from tea and horticultural commodities resulted in a 28 per cent increase in merchandise exports during the first quarter of 2024 to Sh298.4 billion.
KNBS report revealed other commodities that registered an increase in the first quarter of 2024 were articles of apparel and clothing accessories and essential oils.
The deal opens duty-free and quota-free access for all Kenyan exports to the $18 trillion EU market and will boost bilateral trade in goods and increase investment flows.
The record is also an 11-month high rise, as such a record was last witnessed on July 20, 2023, signalling better prospects for the local currency, hence reduced importation costs.
The company reported that 365 transformers worth Sh328 million were vandalised in 2023, and an additional 78 transformers valued at Sh78 million have already been damaged this year.
The global outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2021 imposed a ban that severely impacted Kenya's poultry industry, hindering access to a vital market.
The agreement aims to ensure steady economic benefits and establish a legal framework for miraa trade between the two neighbouring countries.
The president has welcomed Nexgen Packaging, a significant investment that brings Kenya closer to fulfilling its export objectives.
The meeting on the elimination of trade bottlenecks also agreed on the clearance of products stuck at the borders.
This is the first time that Kenya’s exports have declined in four years.
The move makes South Africa the latest country to start trading under AfCFTA, a deal that seeks to create a single market for the continent’s 1.3 billion people.
Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows that Kenya exported goods worth Sh16.77 billion to Somalia in the nine months to September 2023.