This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Kenya, the largest avocado producer in Africa and seventh globally, is poised to reap big in the lucrative Chinese market, valued at 13.5 billion shillings.
On April 29, 2018, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Chinese President Xi Jinping signed a trade agreement that opened doors for local farmers to export avocados to China.
Avocado producers such as Vertical Agro are embracing the requirements that comprise washing, peeling, removing the seed, and freezing the fruit for shipment to China.
Vertical Agro's General Manager, Vishal Shah, explained that avocados in their processing facility are peeled, cut into small pieces, and frozen below 40 degrees before packaging into bags, increasing the fruit's shelf life by 2 years.
The company is expected to export its first shipment of avocados to China next month, with a daily processing capacity of three tons, targeting to increase to 18 tons per day.
According to the Produce Exporters Association of Kenya chairman, Apollo Owuor, avocado production in Kenya is expected to increase in the next five years due to high demand globally.
