Agricultural Export Business

The course will enhance participants’ awareness and knowledge on:

1. Agriculture export business
2. Procedure for setting up an agricultural export business
3. Requirements for establishing agricultural export business
4. Existing opportunities in the agricultural export
5. Management and administration of an agricultural export business

1. Introduction to agricultural export business
2. Legislations and regulations related to agricultural export business
3. Administration of an agricultural export business
4. Export documentation and procedures

1.1.1 Introduction to agricultural export business (2 hours)

1. Key terms used in agricultural export business for example phytosanitary, quarantine, certification, inspection
2. History of agricultural export business; women and youth in export agriculture, small and medium enterprises in agricultural export
3. Commodities: flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices, grains and legumes
4. Markets: destination requirements, private standards, technical and phytosanitary standards, food safety requirements of destination markets, compliance to local and destination country regulations
5. Benefits of agricultural export business: profit, job creation, CSR, balance of trade

1.1.2 Legislations and regulations related to agricultural export business (2 hours)

1. Agricultural export regulations: business registration, permits, licences, taxation, labour, statutory requirements, export county regulations, destination country legislations.
2. Policies relevant to agricultural sector: Kenya Horticulture Policy, National Seed Policy, KEPHIS Act and related Acts & regulations, AFA Act (HCD, Tea, Coffee), PCPB Acts; policies in countries of participants origin
3. Other stakeholders

1.1.3 Administration of agricultural export business (2 hours)

1. Human Resource and relevant professionals: production, pest management, packhouse management, marketing, farm audits, food safety, accounts and record keeping and ICT
2. Marketing: contract farming, technical barriers to trade and NTB, traceability, growers, market requirements (private, phytosanitary, technical standards), demand and supply, marketing methods, market intelligence.
3. Finance: accounting principles, book keeping, taxation, budgeting, interpreting , debt management, interpretation of financial information, access to business funds, startup capital
4. Communication: business negotiation records, complaints and feedbacks, customer satisfaction feedback
5. Information Communication Technology: Electronic approval systems: systems used by various service providers such as KRA, KEPHIS, KENTRADE
6. Record keeping: farm records (acreage, variety planted, planting date), pest scouting reports, pesticide sprays report, business and premise records: certificate of incorporation, bank account, source of produce (land size, location, sub-contracts), documentary evidence from destination countries (import permit), export consignment: bill of lading, commercial invoice, airway bill, phytosanitary certificate, shipping order, sales tracking, profit and loss account, business plan,
7. Risk Management and auditing: risk identification, risk register, risk mitigation, audit process
8. Business ethics: integrity, values, compliance to law and regulations, unhealthy competition, produce integrity, false declaration, interceptions, fraud, document forgery.

1.1.4 Export documentation and procedures (2 hours)

1. Export audits: Farm audits including Globalgap, KenyaGap, KEPHIS farm audit guidePackhouse audits including HACCP, KEPHIS farm audit guide, AFA-HCD
2. Export certification systems: produce inspections, inspection reports and outcomes, phytosanitary certificates such as ECS, e-phyto
3. Export permits offered by AFA-HCD, certificate of incorporation, bank account, source of produce (land size, location, sub-contracts), documentary evidence from destination countries (import permit), export consignment: bill of lading, commercial invoice, airway bill, phytosanitary certificate, shipping order,

1.2 Case study and Group exercises (3 hours)

1. Discussions on successful start-up export business models
2. Short summary of a business plan, checklist of requirements, business evaluation

Checklist of requirements