Kenya will resume avocado exports to South Africa after an earlier ban was lifted, Deputy President William Ruto said on Tuesday.
The DP while speaking at the Kenya Trade Week said apart from the South African market, the produce has also attracted interest in various European markets.
Kenya’s avocado exports to SA was stopped due to fruit fly infestation in 2007.
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services managing director Esther Kimani yesterday confirmed that after long negations, the export market has now been re-opened.
“We would like to report that the avocado export market has finally been re-opened after long negations spearheaded by KEPHIS and other stakeholders since 2007 when the market was closed,” she said in a statement.
Following the ban, Kenya developed a pest management plan which created pest free zones to reduce infestation of the fruit fly.
Kenya lost the avocado market due to the fruit fly pest which after various studies conducted by Kephis has found the quarantine effect to be negligible under standard export conditions.
According to Andrew Edewa, vice chair of the Horticulture National Technical Working Group, Kenya lost about Sh2.3 billion annually when the country lost the avacado market to SA.
According to Food and Agricultural Organisation, Kenya produces an average of 191,000 tonnes of avocados per year, and is ranked second largest producer in Africa after South Africa.
Mexico is the largest producer of avocados in the world and Kenya is seventh globally with 7,500 hectares under cultivation.
Kimani said avocado exporters are expected to have their farms and pack houses registered with the government agency and audited for compliance in line with the system approach requirement by SA.
“Only those exporters approved by Kephis and assigned special codes shall proceed to apply for an import permit,” she said.
She added that with the re-opening of the South African market, the phytosanitary regulator expects farmers and exporters to comply with requirements to maintain this key market.
“Kephis has also been spearheading the production and marketing of avocado to other markets as the fruit, particularly the hass variety is preferred in the international market due to its taste, oil content, texture and size,” said Kimani.