The Kenyan government is concerned that the continued export of premature horticultural produce will jeopardize and/or compromise the appeal and standards of Kenyan products on the international market. For instance, China was willing to import up to 100,000 tons of avocados, but many exporters were exporting immature avocado fruits.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, C.S. Mithika Linturi, insists that fresh produce exports should only be harvested at the right time so that when sent to the markets, they meet the prerequisite standards. He stressed that this was necessary to ensure the country was not blacklisted and did not lose the market for horticulture products because of the greed of some unscrupulous exporters keen on making higher profit margins at the expense of standards.
To ensure horticultural farmers and exporters know when to harvest what type of fruit or crop, the Ministry will give the necessary support to the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to enable it to enforce the laid-down rules and requirements of the sector.
Source: kenyanews.go.ke
