Kenya announces end of avocado harvest season, sea freight export for FY23/24

KENYA – The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), Kenya, has announced the closing of the harvesting season and export by sea of avocadoes for the 2023/2024 fiscal year effective November 3, 2023.

To arrive at this conclusion, the Directorate undertook a survey to authenticate the maturity indices of the avocado fruits in the major production zones.

Following the findings, the directorate informed that the volumes of mature off-season crop are still insufficient to warrant the opening of export by sea.

Therefore, the export of Hass, Fuerte, Pinkerton and Jumbo varieties will continue by air shipment as exports via seafreight remains closed.

“Export clearance (including fruit consignments from the EAC region) shall be granted for air shipment,
subject to inspection by the Directorate,” reads the notice. “Traceability information will be required for all consignments.”

The notice, as outlined by the directorate, applies to all exporters, importers, and processors.

“We shall continue to closely monitor Avocado maturity trends and patterns, review the notice in mid-January 2024 and guide appropriately,” added AFA in the notice.

HDC was established by the AFA Act of 2013 to develop, regulate, and promote the horticulture industry.

In line with its mandate, the Directorate enforces sector regulations to ensure that quality produce is marketed locally and internationally.

This includes ensuring that mature Avocado is harvested and exported, in a bid to sustain and grow the Kenyan international markets and minimize interruption of the crop cycle occasioned by harvesting of immature Avocado.

Kenya is a leading producer of avocados in Africa. Some of the leading destinations for the Kenyan avocado include the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, France, Spain, Turkey, China, Germany, United Kingdom among others.

Meanwhile, in their beginning of the season forecast, Kenya had plans to double its avocado exports from Sh15 billion to Sh30 billion annually in the next five years. 

This new development comes after Kenya successfully made its first avocado exports to India, tapping into a promising 1.4 billion consumer market.

Moreover, Kenyan avocado exports to China hit KES 9 billion in the three months to May 2023, defying steep competition in the market from Chile.

The European Union, with a focus on nations like the Netherlands, France, Spain, the UK, and Germany, remains a key destination for Kenyan avocados.

Additionally, Kenya has successfully expanded its avocado exports to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Qatar, the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Georgia.

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