Generally, Ms. Maina noted that all sectors that either intend to or have been exporting to the US are faced with common technical and capacity building problems in the following areas:
1. Market Access: in US in most commodity products, except perhaps apparels where exporters have developed linkages with the likes of Sears, J.C. Penny, Mervyns, Vanity Fair, Philip Van Hausen, Gloria Venderbilt, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, and Aeropostale among others, there is need for better developed market information and communication for commodity products and other products under GSP.
2. Product Development, Diversification and Branding: under the Kenya- US export / import trade, to increase the volume of trade and improved quality of exports from Kenya.
3. Need for Technical Assistance: in up-scaling production in most of the commodities and especially in upgrading vertically integrated cotton-textile value chain, including addressing constraints faced by small scale farmers numbering 200,000; and ginneries numbering 22. There is need for a well developed value chain for each of the export commodities.
4. Need for Training, especially in apparel sub-sector, to meet US standards for export.
Kenya Association of Manufacturers
marketing@alchempro.com
