This archive report was first published on 29 June 2019.
Kenya's avocado farmers are on the cusp of a major breakthrough, with the country set to become the only African nation to export avocados to China. The deal, signed in April, has sparked excitement among farmers, who see it as a lucrative opportunity to increase their income.
For Alexander Muchiri, a farmer from Muranga County, the prospect of exporting avocados to China is a welcome development. He has been growing avocados for seven years and has seen his income increase significantly in recent years. However, he has also faced challenges in selling his produce, particularly the smaller fruits.
"In previous years, brokers would come, pick the larger fruits and leave the smaller ones on the farms with no one to sell to," Muchiri said. "This would result in a lot of waste, as the smaller fruits would rot on the trees."
With the Chinese market now open to Kenyan avocado farmers, Muchiri is optimistic that he will be able to sell all his produce, including the smaller fruits. He plans to scale up his production by planting more trees, confident that there will be a market for them.
Beatrice Mugure, another farmer from the same region, has also seen the benefits of growing avocados. She switched from growing coffee a few years ago, as the price of coffee dropped and the market for avocados expanded. Her avocado trees are now three years old and are giving her her first fruits.
"Potential buyers have come to my farm several times to check the avocados and pick samples," Mugure said. "They will be coming back for the harvest, and I am confident that I will be able to sell all my produce."
However, there is a catch. The Chinese market requires that avocados be frozen to minus 30 degrees Celsius to get rid of pests, and then frozen again to minus 18 degrees for transit. This has raised concerns among farmers, who worry that the strict requirement will prevent them from directly exporting the produce.
Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Trade and Industrialization, Peter Munya, has acknowledged the challenges faced by farmers. "We are looking at building capacity for Kenya National Trading Cooperation to support small-scale farmers to aggregate and export," he said. "We have resources to support KNTC to upgrade its warehouses and then export."
Kenyan exporters are also planning to make investments in cold storage to meet the requirements for accessing the Chinese market. In the meantime, Kenyan avocado farmers will rely on farmer cooperatives to find other markets willing to buy their produce fresh from the farm.
Published on June 29, 2019, at 10:18:32 AM.
