On Sunday, Kenya Airways’ Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner departed from Nairobi at 22:45.
Kenya plans to use the direct flights to increase horticulture and fruit exports to the United States and during the flights, the Ministry of Agriculture, Brand Kenya and Java House Africa gave out “Made in Kenya” hampers comprising coffee, tea, leather passport wallets, among other things, to passengers on board.
The total value of horticultural produce exported in 2017 increased from Sh101.5 billion [1 million USD] in 2016 to Sh115 billion [1.1 million USD] last year.
The cut-flower export still remains the largest earner, contributing over 70 per cent of the total fresh produce annual earnings.
Flower exports contributed Sh82.24 billion [800,000 USD], up from Sh70.83 billion [700,000 USD] earned in 2016, representing 11.6 per cent growth, on export volume of 159,961 tonnes.