Avocado varieties that include Hass and Fuerta now faces an indefinite and extended export ban imposed by the Kenya Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA).
The move is aimed at curbing harvesting of immature crops following rampant cases of traders picking young crops previously to capitalize on high prices of the commodity on the world market.
Head of Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) Benjamin Tito said the ban on Fuerte and Hass varieties will continue indefinitely.
“The harvesting of Hass and Fuerte avocado varieties will remain suspended until further notice,” said Tito.
According to Tito, exporters with the Jumbo variety, who are still allowed to ship out, will only do it by air and not sea with the weight expected to be at least 184 grammes for a single fruit.
The authority says the current crop in farms is immature and that any trader keen to export avocados should seek clearance from the regulator.
The export ban was first instituted in November 15th 2021 to prevent the exportation of immature fruit.
The review on when the ban was to be lifted was to be conducted on 15th January this year to ascertain the status of the crop.
According to data from FPEAK, the country is the world’s third-largest producer of avocados with a market share of 2.1 per cent.
Kenya was ranked 8th globally in 2019 in export of avocados behind Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Spain, Chile, Colombia and the United States.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing avocados exporters since 2015 were: Colombia (up 1,607 per cent), Dominican Republic (up 424.2 per cent), Morocco (up 206.6 per cent) and Kenya (up 161.5 per cent).
In 2020, the country’s earnings from avocado exports rose by 40 per cent to Sh14 billion from Sh10 billion in 2019.
In the period under review, the country exported 68,000 tonnes, a 15 per cent jump from 59,000 tonnes exported in a similar period in 2019.
The value of Kenya’s avocado exports jumped 93 per cent to Sh4.26 billion in the first quarter of this year compared to the previous period, data by the Horticulture Directorate shows, buoyed by improved demand in global markets.