As the avocado season comes to a close in Kenya, the Horticulture Directorate has judged that there are insufficient volumes of mature fruit to justify exports by sea, but air shipments can continue
Kenya’s Horticulture Directorate has temporarily halted exports of avocado varieties including Fuerte, Hass, Pinkerton and Jumbo, according to a report from Business Day Africa, in order to prevent the harvesting of under-ripe fruits and possible blacklisting by international buyers.
Effective as of 25 October, the decision applies to sea shipments for the 2024/25 fiscal year. According to the directive, companies will still be allowed to export by air, as long as shipments are cleared following inspection and traceability information is provided for all consignments.
“The Directorate’s decision follows a recent survey across Kenya’s major avocado production zones, which revealed insufficient volumes of mature fruits to justify sea export,” the report stated. “The ban will remain in place until the first week of December 2024, when the situation will be reviewed.”
The measure, designed to uphold the high standards of Kenyan avocado exports, is expected to cause prices to rise on the domestic markets as a result of local shortages of main season varieties. likely impact local prices due to the anticipated shortage of main-season varieties in the domestic market.
Kenya has been expanding its avocado export business in recent years, reducing its reliance on the EU with the addition of new markets such as India in September 2023.
