Thursday, March 28, 2024

Kenya: Food Losses Hit U.S.$662 Million Annually, FAO Report Says

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Kenya loses at least Sh72 billion in food waste and post-harvest losses at different stages of the value chain, a new report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reveals.

The report shows that agriculture, which contributes 26 per cent of the country’s economy, brings in Sh2.48 trillion of the country’s Sh9.53 trillion annual gross domestic product.

This, however, is minus the costs of the waste and post-harvest losses involved in the industry.

But the sector, the report adds, has the potential to contribute Sh3.24 trillion when operating at its optimum and losses eliminated.

“Kenya is losing 30 per cent of food produced after harvest. Of this, about 20 per cent of the food is lost at the farm level, while 60 per cent (of what remains) is lost at the marketing stage. In some instances, 100 per cent of food produced goes to waste, especially during bumper harvest seasons,” the report says. Read more…

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