According to Benjamin Tito, director of Horticultural Crops Directorate, Kenya plans to prioritize avocado exports to China in order to boost revenues. He stated that sales to the Asian nation generate high returns to Kenya as they are shipped as frozen hence are value-added.
He said that there was a shipment of frozen avocados to China consisting of nine tons in late September. “We have received a positive response from consumers and therefore local producers are preparing to make another shipment next month,” he observed.
Tito revealed that the government also regulates the opening and closing time for harvesting avocado to avoid premature produce ending up in the market which will dent Kenya’s reputation as a source of quality produce, adding that in order to meet the expected demand from Chinese consumers, cultivation of the fruit has now been expanded beyond central Kenya to other regions such as western Kenya.
Source: africa.cgtn.com
