Kenya: Kenya's Pulses Market - Trends and Emerging Market Opportunities

Kenya is among the largest producer of pulses in Africa and a major consumer in Sub-Saharan Africa, with dry beans accounting for the largest share of production and consumption. Pulse production relies primarily on rain-fed agriculture and faces recurrent challenges from erratic rainfall, drought, pests, diseases, and limited access to improved seed, reducing the sector's ability to meet growing domestic demand. Kenya supplements local supplies through imports of dry beans, dry peas, lentils, and chickpeas from regional and international suppliers while exporting mung beans (green grams), pigeon peas, and other specialty pulses. U.S. pulse exports to Kenya remain limited but present opportunities for growth, particularly for dry peas, lentils, chickpeas, and value-added pulse products serving the food processing, institutional, and retail sectors.