Kenya’s avocado exports jumped 15 percent to 68,000 tonnes over the 12 months to October, fetching the country Sh14 billion.
Kenya, which is ranked eight globally in avocado production, netted Sh10 billion from 59,000 tonnes of the fruit exported over a similar period of last year.
The Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya(FPEAK) chief executive officer, Hosea Machuki attributed the performance to adoption of higher international quality standards.
Avocado has been a major contributor of the income from the horticulture earnings, raking in nearly half of the total returns from fruits.
Industry players have been enforcing quality standards amid pressure to deal with cartels which are seeking to profiteer from a high global demand for avocado. Some of the crooks paid little regard to quality, putting Kenyan exports at risk of rejection in the global markets. This week, the horticulture regulator banned the export of two popular avocado varieties to curb harvesting of immature crop. The ban follows rampant cases of traders picking young crops, encouraged by high prices of the commodity.
