NEWSLETTER2019-03fromtheAgriculturalDepartmentTheEmbassyoftheKingdomoftheNetherlandsinNairobi

Onactivities,events,studies,articlesandmoreDo not hesitate to contact us in case of questions, tips or trade requests. AgriculturalDepartment[@] nai-lnv@minbuza.nl[tw] @NLAgriKenya[w] agroberichtenbuitenland.nl/landeninformatie/ keniaIt has yet again been an eventful year in Kenya, especially when it comes to agriculture. With the irst Agriculture Working Group and a visit of Vice-Minister Marjolijn Sonnema. We will continue in 2020 to support companies in doing business and work on the long-standing cooperation between the two countries. I wish you a prosperous New Year! With warm regards, TheAgriculturalCounsellor,IngridKorving.

TheKenyaMarket-ledDairyProgramhasleadtomoreinclusiveandsafedairysupplychainThe Netherlands has supported the Kenya Market-led Dairy Program (KMDP), implemented by SNV in the last 8 years. The program, which was completed in October 2019, has successfully contributed to the development of a competitive, market-driven and private sector-led Kenya dairy sector, with bene iciaries across the value chain. Business-to-business pilots were an important pillar and have produced successful business cases in feed and fodder, quality based milk payment and dairy advisory. Even after its closure, the strong business relationship in the dairy sector, where we have been partners for many years, will be maintained with several Private Sector Initiatives. Insights of the program can be found back in a Close-Out Magazine for the KMDP program. The Magazine combines description of a selection of key interventions by KMDP. Under KMDP a vast collection of project reports, publications, handbooks, manuals and other documents for learning has been created. FindmoreandmoredetailedinformationontheKMDPinterventions,throughthislink

AgricultureWorkingGroupKenyaandtheNetherlandsAs a result of ongoing technical discussions, the below topics are agreed upon: - Amendment of the lily bulb import permit to Kenya - Certi icate for import of pork and pork products into Kenya is approved - Import of tilapia ingerlings into Kenya on a case to case basis as long as sanitary requirements are met. FormoreinfoontheAgricultureWorkingGrouppleaseclickhere.

TheNetherlandsasaleaderincircularagricultureThese words mark the vision of the Dutch Minister for Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. The Agriculture Working Group is an excellent example of how Kenya and the Netherlands work together towards sustainable agriculture. Both countries have a strong shared ambition to increase sustainability in the agriculture sector. This is re lected in the Big 4 Agenda and ‘Buy Kenya, Build Kenya’ Initiative of Kenya and the policy of the Netherlands as a leader in circular agriculture. FindavideoshowingthevisionoftheDutchMinisterSchoutenforAgriculture,FoodQualityandNaturehere.

NewEUregulationsonplantmaterialsPlease note that effective 14 December 2019, it will be mandatory that a phytosanitary certi icate accompanies all plants (including living parts of plants) to enter into the EU. The list of plants exempted from the obligation to carry a phytosanitary certi icate from 14 December 2019 are pineapples, coconuts, durians, bananas and dates. Exporters are urged to ensure that they comply with the new requirement and liaise with KEPHIS to ensure a smooth transition into the EU. Pleasereadmoreonthenewregulationshere.

CabiandKoppertstartacollaborativeprojectonbiologicalcontrolinsmallholdertomatoproductioninKenyaCABI has joined forces with biological control specialistsKoppertBiologicalSystemsto step-up a more sustainable ight against the tomato farmer’s worst enemy – the tomato leafminer - known scienti ically as Tutaabsoluta , which in Kenya alone causes 50-80% yield loss if no control method is applied. Since 2014, Tuta absoluta has become the most serious threat to the sustainable production of tomato in Kenya with nearly 98% of all farmers affected. CABIresearchshows that even where 96.5% of farmers apply pesticides, only 27% report that the treatment has been successful. Now, CABI is working with Koppert Biological Systems, as part of a MemorandumofUnderstandingsignedlastyear to collaborate on making more sustainable biological controls available in the ight against invasive pests and weeds in less developed countries, to implement a two-pronged attack against the proli ic tomato leafminer in Kenya. By implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach with farmers in Nairobi and Kajiado Counties – using the predatory mirid Macrolophuspygmaeus (MIRICAL) and the pheromone trap system (Tutasan + Pherodis) – it is hoped that such a strategy will result in signi icant reduction in pesticide use and far greater yields compared to conventional farmer practices. FindmoreinfoaboutthethisprojectonCabi’snewwebsitehere.

Climatesmartanddata-drivensolutionsarethefutureas“Whatgetsmeasuredgetsmanaged.”In September the Deputy Governor of Nakuru, Dr. Erick Korir and the Agriculture Counselor launched VipimoIO - a sensor subscription service for farmers wanting to make data driven decisions - during Upande’s 10 year celebration. One the success factors of the company is its ability to adapt products to the local Kenyan context. To learn more on how ICT companies can contribute to the agriculture sector. Readthestudy“OpportunitiesandchallengesforICTcompaniesinagricultureinKenya”commissionedbytheEmbassyhere.

TravelingtotheNetherlandsforworkWe have noticed an increase in the number of requests for assistance in visa applications immediately before big agriculture events in the Netherlands. Unfortunately we are not able to fast-track the procedure, which takes at least 15 working days. Thereforebookyourappointmentwellintime. For questions on your application or the procedure you can call the Embassy and press 1 or call the international Dutch consular contact centre directlyat: +31247247247. DoyouoryouremployeesoftentraveltotheNetherlandswithaSchengenvisa?Check the Orange Carpet Visa facility, which aims to simplify the visa applications process for regular business travellers to the Netherlands. Checkthiswebsite.

WorkingtogethertostoptheFalseCodlingMothThe False Codling Moth (FCM) also knowns as Thaumatotibia leucotreta is a pest, which is present on more than 70 host plants crops like roses, citrus, peppers (Capsicum spp.), maize etc. making it a challenge to control it. FCM, categorized as a quarantine pest by the European Union (EU) is an urgent threat to export as an increased number of interceptions will result in a 100% inspection rate by the EU. The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services, the Kenya Flower Council and the Netherlands Government therefore joined efforts to stop this pest. In the week of 16 - 20 September a training was given to inspectors, scouts and rose growers by three experts from the Dutch Quality Control Bureau (KCB) and Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA). There was also an option for individual questions during the Naivasha HortiFair. The high level of attendance, questions and cooperation during these trainings is a irst step in stopping this pest, it underlines the importance of tackling this threat to export together. Many more strides need to be made to reduce the number of interceptions. Toaccessthepresentationsoftheexpertsand indmoreinfoontheFCMclickhere.

HighlightsofAgriculturalDepartment2019Wewouldliketogiveyouaninsightintosomeoftheactivitieswehavebeenworkingonthisyear.Thebelowhighlightsareonlyaselectionbuthopefullygiveyouanideaoftheworkwedotostrengthentheagriculturesector:♦ Start of the Agriculture Working Group, formalizing the strong relationship between the two countries in July 2019 ♦ Strengthening cooperation between Kenya and the Netherlands through the visit of the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. ♦ 26 Kephis inspectors, 15 Scouts and 230 rose growers trained on detecting and preventing FCM. ♦ Events organized for (Dutch) agricultural companies during ESADA (dairy sector), IFTEX ( loriculture sector), Naivasha Hortifair (horticulture sector), and round tables for the ICT and agrifood sectors. ♦ Co-organization of two events for the potato industry on matters affecting the sector. ♦ 129 Trade requests of companies answered, we visited 16 companies in Kenya and received 52 incoming visits. ♦ Study on “Opportunities and challenges for ICT companies in agriculture in Kenya” and “Climate Smart Agriculture”. ♦ An updated version of Kenya’s seed potato catalogue, with a total of 56 registered varieties, of which 34 are from seven Dutch companies. ♦ 3 Newsletters published with over a 1000 readers to inform companies on the latest updates. Welookforwardtoassistingyourbusinessaswellin2020.Feelfreetoreachouttousincaseofanyupdates,challengesorbusinessdevelopmentsyouwanttoshare.

Addresschangesorun-subscriptionpleasesendanemailtonai-lnv@minbuza.nl

TheTeamIngrid Korving Agricultural Counsellor Elizabeth Kiamba Agriculture Advisor Kenya Theo Mutabingwa Agriculture Advisor Tanzania Manou Aelmans Agriculture Of icer Robin Bongers Agriculture Of icer Sandu Teodor Intern Tanzania

FinancialSupport TheAgriFIKenyaChallengeFund:is a European Union initiative to support productive and market-integrated smallholder agriculture through the provision of inancial support worth EUR 18,000,000 to agri-enterprises. Deadlinefor

application:20Dec.More infoonapplicationcriteriacanbefoundhere.

RVO inancialsupport:RVO provides an overview and selection of the programs run by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Forafulloverview,checktheirwebsite

NewAgricultureOf icer&InternFrom mid-December Robin Bongers (right) will be taking over from Manou Aelmans (left) who is going on maternity leave. You may know Robin already as she used to be an intern at the Embassy in Kenya and strengthened the team for 3 months this year. In January Marieke Oomen will also strengthen the team as the new intern, she will amongst others look at trends in the trade requests we receive to improve the information we provide.

OrangeKnowledgeProgram2020StudyanAgriculturecourseintheNetherlandsThe Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) aims to contribute to a society's sustainable and inclusive development. In Kenya, the OKP focusses amongst others on food & nutrition security. CallforproposalsforTailor-Made-TrainingsThe Orange Knowledge Programme-Tailor-Made Training promotes capacity building by providing grants for customised group trainings. This means you can also apply as a business or institution. To apply for this grant check the call for proposals clicking here Individualscholarshipsformid-careerprofessionals-There are three application rounds for individual scholarships every year. These rounds open in February (deadline 2 April), June and September. The application round in September is only for short courses. The other rounds are also for Master courses. How can you apply? You can ind a list of universities and courses that are offering OKP scholarships in Study inder, using the ilter 'OKP quali ied - Yes'. The exact application deadline for each course is different for each university. NOTE:It is only when you are accepted by the university that you can apply for the OKP scholarships. You need to contact the selected university of your course and ask how to apply for the OKP scholarship.

UpcomingEvents2019-202023Dec-1Jan-EmbassyClosedDue to holidays, the Embassy will be closed from the 23rd of December 2019 until the 1st of January 2020. 03-05Jun-Iftex2020,Nairobi The International Floriculture Trade Expo (IFTEX) in Nairobi is the leading loriculture exhibition in Africa, bringing together growers, the market, breeders and the entire supply chain. Readmore:here 20-22Oct-PoultryAfrica2020,KICC,Nairobi The third sub-Saharan Poultry Africa Expo organized by ViV will take place in Nairobi. For an impression of the fair last year see:link