NAIROBI, Kenya – Kenyan chilli farmers and exporters have gained access to the Chinese market for dried peppers, opening a new trade opportunity that will depend on their ability to meet strict food safety, traceability and pest-control requirements.
The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), in a public notice dated October 16, 2026, announced that Kenya had secured market access for dried chillies to China, encouraging farmers, processors, packers, aggregators and exporters to prepare for the new opportunity.
However, the opening does not mean every producer can immediately ship chilli peppers to China. Exporters must comply with registration, inspection, certification and quality-control procedures set by Kenyan and Chinese authorities.
The development comes as China implements phytosanitary requirements for dried chillies from African countries under an announcement issued by its General Administration of Customs on April 26, 2026. Kenya’s latest notice outlines the compliance steps local industry players must follow to access the market.
Exporters must register farms and processing facilities
Under the requirements announced by KEPHIS, export processing and packing facilities must be registered with China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) through the Kenyan inspectorate.
The facilities must first undergo inspection and approval by KEPHIS before registration. Farms, production sites, drying facilities and packhouses must also be registered with the agency and comply with the applicable export certification requirements.
Every consignment destined for China must have a phytosanitary certificate issued by KEPHIS to confirm compliance with the prescribed plant health conditions.
The rules also require exporters to establish traceability systems that allow produce to be tracked through production and processing. Farmers and other stakeholders must implement Good Agricultural Practices and Integrated Pest Management, while keeping pest-monitoring records for at least two years.
These measures are intended to help authorities identify the source of consignments and respond to pest or food safety concerns if shipments fail to meet the destination market’s standards.
Food safety rules could determine who benefits
Beyond registration, exporters must meet China’s food safety requirements covering pesticide residues, aflatoxin B1, heavy metals and microbiological contamination.
KEPHIS has specified zero tolerance for Sudan dyes, requires compliance with applicable microbiological standards, including the absence of Salmonella, and sets a maximum moisture content of 13 per cent for dried chillies.
The notice also requires exporters to comply with prescribed packaging and labelling standards and use clean, appropriate packaging materials.
These requirements mean that access to China will depend not only on the ability to produce sufficient quantities of dried chillies, but also on maintaining consistent quality and documented handling practices.
The KEPHIS notice does not specify a numerical aflatoxin B1 ceiling in the published requirement provided, so exporters should obtain the applicable limit from the agency before preparing consignments.
Nine quarantine pests and pathogens identified
China has identified nine quarantine pests and plant pathogens of concern that must be addressed under the export arrangements.
They include the khapra beetle, cowpea weevil and common bean bruchid, as well as plant pathogens associated with potato spindle tuber viroid, tomato brown rugose fruit virus, zebra chip disease, bacterial canker and bacterial speck. Broomrape species are also on the list.
The requirements place responsibility on exporters and producers to implement pest monitoring and control measures and ensure that consignments comply with China’s phytosanitary conditions.
Failure to meet the requirements could prevent shipments from entering the Chinese market, making pre-export inspection and effective pest management essential.
