Kenya capitalising on Chinese market with quality avocados

Avocado farmers have shifted focus on China, which is making huge strides in importing Kenyan avocados.

The farmers counting on Kenya Ports Authority's help to fully capture the market of more than 1.4 billion people.

In comparison, the 27-member EU, which remains the largest buyer of local avocados, has a population of about 448 million people.

Kenya started exporting avocados to China in August 2022 after years of negotiations and there has been a steady increase.

Data from Chinese authorities say Kenya’s avocado exports to China increased 10 times in 2023 compared.

China imported 4,324.1 tonnes of avocados from Kenya in 2023 compared to 443.6 tonnes in 2022.

Sunripe and Vertical Agro Group general manager for avocado Richard Wafula attributed this to the quality of hass avocados.

The group’s Acacia farm is certified for the China market and all EU requirement standards.

KPA chair Benjamin Tayari told the Star the authority is working on innovative ways to reduce the cost of transportation of goods from different parts of the country to the Mombasa port.

This way, the cost of exporting products, especially fresh produce and perishable goods, becomes cheaper thus making more business sense in the whole cold chain logistics.

“We have realised that our exports are not competitively priced because of the transportation problems that increase the cost,” Tayari said.

He said they are in constant contact with farmers to ensure their produce reach the Mombasa port in time and in good condition to help fetch more income.

KPA is finalising a plan with Vertical Agro Group that will see avocado from the Acacia farm in Naivasha, transported via reefer containers to the Mombasa Port.

The avocados will then be given priority in loading into vessels for transportation.

“We have been breaking records on imports but this time we want break records on exports. That is why KPA is determined to ensure sea freight becomes the best choice for exporters,” Tayari said.

He said KPA is there to support investors by ensuring their goods reach the port in good time and are exported in good time too.

Red tape will be minimised in transportation of fresh produce.

“You remember last year the President was at the port and he directed us to remove all the non-tariff barriers,” Tayari said.

Wafula said they export the hass avocado more than fuerte.

The quality controls applied in production of the avocados are stringent, with the biggest challenge being controlling pests such as the fruit flies and the false codling moths.

“The pests are quarantined. They are not supposed to go to the export countries because they don’t want pests, they want the product,” Wafula said.

Calcium, zinc and boron are the main microelements used on the avocado crops from flowering to harvest, which takes seven months.

Kenya has two seasons for avocados, the main season runs from March to September and the mini-season is from November to January.

This smaller window of production is shorter and can only be transported via air freight because the volume is very small.

One avocado tree takes about three years to start production.

Harvesting is done simultaneously with quality check to sort out the avocados that meet international standards.

China, for instance, prefers a mixture of the avocado sizes and imports from Kenya 30 per cent big and 60 per cent small sizes.

Those that do not meet the standards are left for local markets.

“Our trained harvesters know which quality is supposed to go for export and which one is for local market. Every crate is then stamped with a sticker for traceability. The stickers have code numbers that show the farm,” Wafula said.

Pest control is the main challenge.

“We are neighbouring other farms that have different crops with pests. So when they harvest, there is massive infestation of those pests. So we increase the traps,” he said.

Acacia farm harvests between eight and 14 tonnes of hass avocados per hectare.

For fuerte, the harvest is between 14 and 20 tonnes per hectare.

 “We do sea freight for the main season and air freight for the smaller season,” Wafula said.

The sea freight is more cost effective than air freight because it carries huge volumes.

“One container carries more than 22 tonnes. The schedule for the produce is also convenient for sea freight because it enables you to plan accordingly,” Wafula said.

The international market is better than the local market in terms of profits because not many Kenyans know or appreciate the value of avocados.

“As a country, we need to sensitise people on the nutritional value of avocados,” Wafula said.

During the main season, Sunripe and Vertical Agro Group exports about 3,500 tonnes of avocados.

The group exports avocados that are above 24 per cent of the dry matter, which means the oil content is sufficient.

“Part of our processes are checked by Horticultural Crop Directorate and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service before they are exported,” Wafula said.

The international markets have different periods during which the avocados are in transportation.

It takes between 23 days and 60 days to reach a number of international markets.

To maintain the shelf life of exported avocados, Wafula said they use the reefer containers that have controlled atmosphere.

“We put in ethylene into the container to suck out the gases that can cause these fruits to ripen along the way. That means the fruits are transported under sleep until they are offloaded into the market,” the general manager said.

Sunripe and Vertical Agrop Group uses biological controls for their avocados and thus the fruits do not have high amounts of chemical contents unlike other areas.

“In other places which have bigger orchards, they use more chemicals for pest control,” Wafula said.

Kenya has more than a million avocado trees grown annually.

“We ask the government to help us open more international markets. The China market has been a significant boost for us,” he said.

The European market is the biggest for Kenyan avocados, taking about 65 per cent of the avocados, but China is coming up fast.

Apart from China and Europe, Sunripe and Vertical Agro Group also exports avocados to Canada and the Middle East.

Kenya is the fifth largest exporter of avocados in the world behind Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.