By Milliam Murigi
Horticulture sector associations from nine countries in Eastern Africa have launched a regional council to help tackle trade barriers, improve market access and strengthen the movement of fresh produce across borders.
Dubbed the Horticulture Council of Eastern Africa (HoCEA), the council brings together national horticulture associations from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi.
Its aim is to provide a unified voice on issues affecting the sector, including logistics, trade, investment, value addition and climate resilience.
“We established HoCEA with a clear purpose and vision, to strengthen regional private-sector coordination and advance a common agenda for horticultural trade, inclusive growth and competitiveness,” said Dr. Jacqueline Mkindi, HoCEA Chairperson.
According to her, the council would build on the expertise of national horticulture associations while providing a collective platform to address challenges that cross national borders.
The council’s five strategic priorities include improving market access and trade facilitation, strengthening cold-chain infrastructure and trade corridors, expanding digital trade and traceability, promoting inclusive value chains and strengthening climate resilience and sustainable production standards.
Speaking during the meeting, Matthew Komen, Deputy Director for Internal Trade at the State Department of Trade, commended the associations, saying that challenges facing horticultural trade cannot be addressed by individual countries or businesses acting alone.
“These challenges cannot be resolved by any single country or firm acting alone. They demand coordinated public-private action at the regional level,” he said.
Horticulture sector has been facing trade barriers such as delays at borders, fragmented digital trade processes, inconsistent sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements, differing certification procedures and other non-tariff barriers.
Industry leaders say that harmonizing standards, streamlining border procedures and reducing these barriers would help lower the cost and time of moving perishable produce while improving access to regional and international markets.
The regional council will also push Eastern African countries to capture more value from horticultural production instead of relying heavily on exports of raw commodities. This means increasing investment in processing, packaging, branding and other forms of value addition.
Development partners at the meeting said the region’s horticulture sector must also adapt to changing global trade and climate conditions. TradeMark Africa’s Director of Business Competitiveness, Anataria Uwamariya, identified logistics efficiency, climate-smart and resilient supply chains, digital trade and integration of horticulture into AfCFTA as areas requiring greater attention.
The Royal Danish Embassy’s Programme Manager Edwin Chachi called for green logistics and effective cold chains to be incorporated into commercial strategies from the outset.
He also urged HoCEA to establish concrete, time-bound priorities and ensure that its interventions deliver measurable results for farmers and exporters.
The European Union also stressed the need to strengthen competitiveness throughout the horticulture value chain, including cold chains, warehousing, sanitary and phytosanitary compliance and quality infrastructure.
EU representatives also highlighted the potential of shifting some horticultural cargo from air to sea freight where commercially viable.The Northern Corridor, which links Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda to global markets, was identified as a critical trade route for the region’s horticulture industry.
“Greater regional cooperation could help horticulture producers build stronger market power. We hope that at some point we are going to be aggregating horticultural volumes from different countries to increase negotiating power in international markets,” said Clement Tulezi, HoCEA Secretary General.
According to him, for perishables, every hour matters. A delayed border crossing is not simply an administrative inconvenience. It can mean lost shelf life, lost quality, lost income and ultimately a lost market. This is why the old model of addressing regional problems only through national responses is no longer sufficient.
However, he clarified that HoCEA is not going to replace national horticulture associations but it will make them stronger. National associations will continue addressing national priorities and HoCEA will concentrate on the challenges and opportunities requiring cross-border coordination and collective action.
“Our horticulture may be produced nationally, but our challenges are increasingly regional. That is why our response must become regional. Our vision is ambitious but clear: A resilient, globally competitive and fully integrated horticultural ecosystem across Eastern Africa,” said Tulezi.
The launch took place during the Regional Public-Private Dialogue on Horticultural Logistics and Trade Facilitation, bringing together government representatives, national horticulture associations, private-sector leaders, development partners, logistics and cold-chain operators, regulators and regional institutions from across Eastern Africa.
The stakeholders are expected to define the practical priorities and responsibilities needed to strengthen Eastern Africa’s horticultural trade, improve competitiveness, attract investment and create greater opportunities across the regional value chain.
