アフリカの隣国のケニアとエチオピアが、農産物輸出で対照的な動きを見せている。まずはエチオピア。農産物（メインは切り花）の輸出金額が300億円を超えた。対前年で10％強の伸びを示している。対照的なのはケニア。EU向けの切り花の輸出は、2015年で約900億円。
これが、種々の理由（EUからの特恵関税免除停止、完全賃金の高騰など）で減少に転じそうなのだ。大規模農家はまだしも、ケニアの小規模農家にとって痛いのは、EUからGAPの認証取得を求められていることだ。EUの量販店は、フェアトレードやMPS（花き産業総合認証システム）、農産物のGAP、有機認証などを求めているからだ。
東アフリカの農場は、最低限の認証を取得しないと、量販店の納入基準を満たすことができない。そもそも認証なしの作物をEUの大手スーパーは仕入れの対象にしない。日本とはえらい違いである。ところが、小規模農家にとっては、GAPの認証取得に約30万円が必要なるが、この経済状態では支払いがむずかしくなっている。
ケニアはとくに賃金の上昇がはげしい。5年で倍に上がっている。このことは、6月のツアーでも紹介してある。 もっとも、エチオピアの切り花農家（130軒）も、外国からの資本で運営されている。賃金圧力と海外との競争にさらされるのはこれからだろう。
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
HortiBizの最新号から、二本連続で掲載します。
“Ethiopian hort export generates over $275M”
The Ethiopian Horticulture Development Agency said that the sector has generated 275.45 million USD last fiscal year.
Agency Public Relations Office Head Mekonen Hailu said the foreign currency secured from export of horticulture products has shown 10.7 per cent increase compared against the performance of last year.
The export of cut flowers amounted to the majority of the revenue, with the sector generating 225 million USD of the stated amount. The export of fruits and vegetables as well as herbs generated 50 million USD.
Mekonen said 49,000 tons of roses and 714.5 million cut flowers were exported in the given period.
The volume of vegetables and fruits exported was 166 thousand tons, according to the Office Head.
He attributed the increase in foreign currency earnings to consistent government support to the sector, attractive incentives and increase in export volume.
The country is becoming a preferred investment hub for horticulture export owning to conducive investment climate and government incentives, Mekonnen said.
The majority of the 130 companies investing in fields of horticulture in Ethiopia are owned by foreigners.
Europe is the key destination for Ethiopia’s horticulture products, taking 80 per cent share of the export.
North America, Middle and Far East as well as some African and other countries also receive Ethiopian horticulture products.
Photo credit: East African Business Week
08/17/2016 – Ethiopian Press Agency
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
“Reduction in Kenya’s ag export revenue”
Kenya is staring at a two-pronged cut in its agriculture export revenue. This comes at the heels of Britain’s exit from the European Union and the looming deadline for signing a deal allowing the country duty-free access to the lucrative market.
Those hardest hit by Brexit are the smallholder farmers exporting fruits and vegetables. While most of Kenya’s flowers do not go to the United Kingdom (UK), and are unaffected by Brexit, Kenya will be slapped with export duty of between eight and 12 per cent unless the East African Community–European Union Economic Partnership Agreement is signed before October 1.
This will make Kenya’s exports uncompetitive, leading to huge revenue and job losses. The scenario will hurt one of Kenya’s engines of economic growth as close to 90 per cent of its exports to the European Union are agricultural or agro-processed.
The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics put the country’s estimated value of exports in cut flowers, green beans and mangoes at Sh90.4 billion in 2015. This could also spell doom for more than 600,000 workers in flower farms and fresh food producers.
For the duty-free deal to come into force, East African Community members ought to endorse it jointly. But some have been reluctant because they are considered least developed countries and enjoy preferential treatment because of it. The least developed countries are not required to sign agreements since they enjoy favourable treatment under the ‘everything but arms’ scheme.
This allows them to sell all products to the European Union and duty free, except arms and ammunition, and 41 tariff lines on sugar and rice on which quotas are established until full liberalisation.
LESS GENEROUS
Should the deadline elapse before a deal is reached, Kenya will have to revert to less generous access terms under the generalised system of preference, which could mean a reduction, but not complete elimination of tariffs.
Kenya Flower Council chief executive Jane Ngige on Friday warned that failure to sign the agreement would subject it to an export duty of between eight per cent and 12 per cent, which would amount to £3 million a month (Sh4 billion).
The government had last month assured Kenyans that it would sign the Economic Partnership Agreement deal by August 1, but the date came and went after Tanzania threw a spanner in the works during the United Nations Trade and Development Conference held in Nairobi.
Burundi is meanwhile facing sanctions over its civil war, further compounding matters for Kenya.
“We want to assure you that we are working day and night to ensure that we sign the trade agreement and implement it so that we meet the official deadline of September 30 and enjoy the benefits that come with it,” Trade Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo said.
Meanwhile, smallholder farmers exporting fruits and vegetables to the UK could be the biggest casualties of Brexit—80 per cent of these go to the UK.
Mr Ngunjiri Mwangi of the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network, whose members sell fruits and vegetables to Britain, said on Friday that tedious documentation requirements for the global Good Agricultural Practice and associated costs, which are usually very high, were among the consequences their farmers were facing after Brexit.
“We are yet to fully analyse the extent to which our farmers have been affected, but we are already facing the challenges as we expect new requirements for UK markets especially the high certification costs,” Mr Mwangi said.
Global GAP certification costs Sh300, 000 per a year for a smallholder farmer.
Photo credit: Siginon Group
08/16/2016 – Daily Nation
