COVID-19 causes a decline in Kenya fish trade: Report

Kenya imported 8,900 tonnes of fresh chilled fish worth Sh993.62 million from Beijing, a fall from 18,074 tonnes worth Sh2.02 billion in 2019 in the seven months till September.

Fish imports into Kenya have declined in the last nine months since the expected imports from China have dropped to Sh993.62 million, according to a report by The Nation. The imports which hit Sh2.03 billion in 2019, have fallen drastically due to COVID-19 as per the reports.

The pandemic has affected the supply chains worldwide as per the data obtained from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), according to reports. It shows a fall of almost 50 percent import by Kenya, resulting in a boon for Kenyan fisherman.

According to the data by KNBS, Kenya imported 8,900 tonnes of fresh chilled fish worth Sh993.62 million from Beijing, a fall from 18,074 tonnes worth Sh2.02 billion in 2019 in the seven months till September. Although Kenya is also in business with Uganda, being one of its main customers, Uganda minted a trade of Sh308.98 in the last nine months, according to the data. It has also noticed a decline in sales due to COVID-19, which imported 57,774 kilos of fish, evaluating below Sh572.08 million. Italy’s imports from Kenya stood at Sh178.5 million, down from Sh197.8 million, while Israel closed the top five buying Sh146..69 million, down from Sh281.7 million in 2019.

However, to aid the suffering fish farmers, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad) authorized a loan of Sh14 billion to boost fish production in Kenya during mid-year.