African avocado exports increased in 2025, with total shipments reaching 430,432 tons, according to preliminary data from the FAO Tropical Fruits Market Review published on Wednesday, January 28. This represents a 16.67% increase from 368,845 tons recorded in 2024.
Export performance across the continent was uneven. Morocco, Kenya, and South Africa together accounted for more than 75% of Africa's total avocado exports, although their individual results diverged.
Morocco became Africa's leading avocado exporter in 2025 after increasing shipments by 90% year on year to 141,000 tons. This allowed the country to overtake Kenya and South Africa for the first time. According to the FAO, higher export volumes were supported by improved domestic production conditions. In May 2025, the Moroccan Avocado Association stated that favourable weather supported output across key growing regions during the 2024–2025 season.
Export growth also reflected earlier investments in the sector. The FAO report noted: "Data provided by Morocco's Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests in April 2025 showed a 40% expansion in harvested areas between 2022 and 2024, alongside a 17% increase in production and a 34% rise in exports."
Kenya, previously Africa's largest avocado exporter, moved to second place after recording a 19% year on year decline in exports to an estimated 105,164 tons. The FAO attributed the reduction mainly to logistics constraints linked to disruptions in the Red Sea, which is a key shipping route to Europe, Kenya's main export destination.
According to the report, "Export potential was constrained by a near doubling of transit times to Europe due to the Red Sea crisis and the resulting surge in shipping costs." In 2025, shipping companies increasingly avoided the Suez Canal after security risks escalated, extending transit times and increasing freight costs.
South Africa, ranked third among African exporters, also faced similar challenges. The country's avocado exports declined by 6% year on year to 80,423 tons, according to FAO estimates, again largely due to disruptions along Red Sea shipping routes.
At the global level, Africa's export growth followed a broader upward trend. The FAO estimated that worldwide avocado exports increased by 13% in 2025 to approximately 3.3 million tons.
Source: Ecofin Agency
