China and Ukraine offered the highest average prices for Kenyan coffee sold directly to overseas buyers in the quarter ended March 2026, overtaking traditional premium markets such as Singapore and Hungary.
The shift points to new opportunities for Kenyan coffee growers and exporters seeking higher-value international markets.
Data from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) shows China paid an average of $646.07 (Sh83,601) per 50-kilogramme bag during the three months, followed by Ukraine at $598.18 (Sh77,404), Australia at $597.63 (Sh77,333) and Hungary at $578.49 (Sh74,857). Somalia recorded the lowest average price at $250 (Sh32,350) per bag.
Kenyan coffee is exported either through the weekly Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) auction, which handles the bulk of national output, or through direct sales negotiated with overseas buyers.
“Premium markets in Asia and Eastern Europe continued to offer attractive prices for speciality coffees,” the AFA said in its latest report on direct coffee sales, cited by Business Daily.
China’s market is expected to become increasingly attractive following a zero-tariff arrangement that took effect on May 1, 2026, removing import duties on African tea, coffee, avocados and macadamia.
The market is also expected to open further from July 20, when China’s General Administration of Customs begins allowing qualified coffee bean imports from 53 African countries under a unified continental framework, replacing the previous country-by-country approval system.
Central Kenya continued to dominate direct coffee export volumes during the quarter, with Kirinyaga accounting for 52.7 per cent of shipments, followed by Kiambu at 16.9 per cent and Murang’a at 12.3 per cent.
Together, the three counties accounted for more than 82 per cent of total direct coffee exports.
Kirinyaga farmers earned Sh1.77 billion from 1.68 million kilogrammes sold directly abroad, while growers in Kiambu and Murang’a earned Sh582 million and Sh423 million, respectively.
AFA noted that among smaller-volume producing counties, Embu, Migori and Nandi recorded the highest average prices.
Overall, Switzerland and the United Kingdom remained the leading direct-sale destinations by volume, accounting for nearly 95 per cent of the quarter’s 3.19 million kilogrammes of exports valued at Sh3.42 billion.
The figures highlight a widening gap between traditional European buyers, which continue to dominate direct coffee exports by volume, and smaller but increasingly lucrative Asian and Eastern European markets that are willing to pay premium prices for speciality-grade beans.
The trend could influence marketing strategies for growers and cooperatives as they seek to expand sales in high-value export markets and secure better returns.
– By Daniel Kamau
