Coconut is mainly grown in the Coastal Counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Tana River and Taita-Taveta. Pockets of the crop have been observed in Busia, Tharaka Nithi, Makueni and Homa Bay Counties. The coconut industry in Kenya has approximately 10 million coconut trees, with over 95% concentrated along the Coastal region. Smallholder farmers with less than five acres of land dominate the cultivation of coconut trees. It is estimated that about 100,194 farmers rely on coconut for their livelihoods. The current productivity averages 28 nuts per tree per year and the total nut production is about 300 million nuts annually alongside other products such as immature/tender nuts, toddy (wine) and brooms among others. The monetary value of the coconut industry is approximated at KES 12.2 billion from this largely informal sub-sector.
The area under coconut was approximately 77,565 Ha in 2022 which was a slight drop due to loss of trees resulting from drought conditions. As part of the mitigation measures, the Directorate introduced a coconut seedling subsidy programme. The objectives of the programme were to; avail high-quality coconut seedlings, increase the area under production, improve productivity and rehabilitate senile orchards.
