Avocado harvesting season to close on November 3

Avocado farmers delivering their harvest at Mulot, Narok West. [Robert Kiplagat, Standard]

The Agriculture and Food Authority has issued a notice to all exporters saying the season of harvesting and exporting of avocados will close on November 3.

In a statement, Ag Director General Willis Audi said the date was reached after a survey that authenticated the maturity guideline of the fruit in different production zones.

“The closing of Hass, Pinkerton, Anode, and Jumbo harvesting season and export by sea for the 2023/2024 fiscal year shall be in force with effect from November 3, 2023,” Audi noted.

The timeline for the year 2023/24 will affect avocado shareholders including exporters, importers, and processors.

The Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) shall ensure all the paperwork is done for all consignments before shipment.

“Export clearance (including fruit consignments from the EAC region) shall be granted for air shipment subject to inspection by the Directorate. Traceability information will be required for all consignments,” added Audi.

Thereafter, the directorate shall monitor the avocado maturity trends and patterns and later review the notice in mid–January 2024.

The directorate is mandated to ensure that farmers harvest and export mature avocado fruits locally and internationally to avoid interruption of the crop cycle caused by harvesting of immature fruits.

Kenya exports avocados to international markets including the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, France, Spain, Turkey, China, Germany, United Kingdom, and many more.