By Bisola Adeyemo
Kenya exported lower volumes of 6,926 metric tonnes (MT) of sisal in the third quarter due to the prevailing drought, the Fibre Crops Directorate said in a report released on Tuesday.
The east African nation exported 7,617 MT of sisal in a similar quarter last year, with the directorate blaming the decline to a lengthy dry spell that has hit the country for the better part of this year, Xinhua news agency reports.
“Export volumes were lower, a fall of 9 percent as compared to a similar period in 2020.”the directorate said.
Despite decline in production, Kenya’s earnings from the crop in the three months rose to 1.25 billion shillings (11.3 million U.S. dollars) on high international prices.
The price of a kilo of sisal hit a high of 1.6 dollars during the quarter, up to 1.49 dollars in a similar period in 2020.
During the quarter, the sisal fibre was exported to 27 destinations, with Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, China, Ghana, and Spain being the top five, said the directorate.
