The Kenyan avocado season just got started and will last until October, December even for the late fruits, says Abraham Cheruiyot, director of Kenyan fresh produce exporter Saki Farm: "Our avocado season runs from April to October every year, but we have early fruits that we can start from March and the end, for the late fruits, we can do those up until December. But the peak season of the avocado export is April to October."
Cheruiyot states that most of Saki Farm's produce is exported to the European market. "Our most important export markets are Europe, the United Arab Emirates, India, and other Asian markets. We're not exporting to the United States just yet. It's not that we wouldn't be able to in terms of regulations, but we just haven't tried yet. I do believe other Kenyan exporters are exporting to the United States. For us, volume-wise, most of our produce goes to Europe, followed by the UAE, which is a good market, but we're not sending as many volumes as we send to Europe."
According to Cheruiyot, the avocado market is set to double in the next five years: "Demand for avocados is increasing, also in China and India. It has become known that the avocado is a product that is good for your health, and as a result, I expect the avocado market to grow even further. Most likely, the market will have doubled by 2030."
The Asian consumer does not have a clear preference when it comes to the sizing of the avocados, as it mostly depends on the size of the family, Cheruiyot explains. "The demand for sizes of avocados really depends on the consumer or buyer. For most people, the sought-after size of avocados simply depends on the size of their family. If their family is large, they are looking for larger-sized avocados to be able to cut pieces for everyone. Larger-sized avocados can also be more popular among clients in the hotel or catering industry."
The logistical side of things has been challenging for the Kenyan avocado exporter: "One of the biggest challenges that we've been experiencing has been transport, as the sea freight was made very difficult due to the issues in the Red Sea. This has meant that our transport time has more than doubled, and in some cases, the arrived fruits have to be sold within a very short time, as these fruits are about to ripen further. We have also put the approved ethylene extractor in place to reduce the ripening. It's comparable to freezing a product, in the sense that it prevents the product from ripening. The cost that comes with these issues is another challenge in itself, as we have to redirect shipments via the South African route," Cheruiyot concludes.
For more information:
Abraham Cheruiyot
Saki Farm
Tel: +254 721 219 432
Email: [email protected]
www.sakifarm.com