China opens market to Kenya's agricultural products

China and Kenya signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures, or SPS, on Thursday. The MOU was signed between the General Administration of Customs of China and Kenya's ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

The historic signing of the MOU is expected to pave the way for market access for Kenyan agricultural products into the China market that has over 1.3 billion consumers. The products include fruits, nuts, avocadoes, legumes, flowers, vegetables, stevia, meat, leather and leather products, among others. The implementation of the MOU also will promote a good relationship among the competent authorities in the SPS and thus enable faster resolution of challenges that Kenyan products face in accessing the Chinese market.

Signing the agreement is an outcome of the strong political message on strengthening bilateral trade relations between the two countries following the meeting of President Xi Jinping and his Kenyan counterpart, Uhuru Kenyatta, at the sidelines of the ongoing China International Import Exhibition.