By Dickson Mwiti
The Avocado Society of Kenya Chief Executive Officer Mr Ernest Muthomi has urged farmers in Tharaka Nithi and Meru Counties to increase their acreage in avocado farming terming it has the next ‘gold’ in the coming years.
Mr Muthomi noted that avocado farming is rapidly expanding in both counties, driven by high export demand for the Hass variety, favorable agro-ecological zones on the slopes of Mount Kenya, and active county government support.
“These regions are becoming “green gold” hubs, with farmers transitioning from traditional crops to high-value avocados and we encourage everyone to come on board,” said Mr Muthomi.
He said the farmers in the two counties should be part of the rest of the country as plans are underway to double avocado export from Sh15 billion to Sh30 billion by 2028 following increasing demand of the country’s produce in the international market.
According to Mr Muthomi, Kenya is keen to expanding its target markets globally after the country achieved its China market in 2022 with the initial shipments taking place in July and August the same year.
This, he said, is aimed at ensuring that the country earns Sh30 billion annually from avocado farming in the next five years.
“Though Kenya’s Hass avocado is the common fruit that is exported, the country is also producing other varieties such as Fuerte and Jumbo,” said Mr Muthomi.
“We have been exporting our avocadoes to Shanghai and we have opened other markets in Malaysia and India as consumers are increasingly realising the health benefits of the produce spurring demand,” said Muthomi.
He added that Many countries, including Korea and Italy, have also been seeking to have Kenya avocado exported to their nations because of the high-fat content that the local fruits have.Commonly referred to as ‘Green Gold’, the CEO urged farmers to increase investment in the production of the fruit.
He however, regretted that some unscrupulous traders have been buying raw avocado from farmers and packing them for export.
“We have some greedy traders who have been exporting unripe avocado. This has been tarnishing our name as a country as far as production of this product is concerned. We want our customers overseas to have a good avocado eating experience,” he said.
The society helps farmers to boost production of avocado and offers guidance on how to tap into the global market.Currently avocadoes stand second as key contributors to foreign earnings, coming after flowers in the horticulture sector.
Kenya is the seventh-largest producer of avocado in the world, and in 2020, the country surpassed South Africa and other African countries in avocado exports.
FAO data indicates that global production has increased by 4.6 per cent and that the avocado market in China is booming and that demand from the American market is also increasing at a consistent but fast rate.
