Kenya ready to export first batch of fresh avocado to China, set to arrive in late August, 2022 photo: courtesy of Shanghai Greenchain Information Science and Technology

The first consignment of fresh avocados from Kenya has hit the Chinese market, the east African nation's export agency said on Sunday.

The Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (KEPROBA) CEO Wilfred Marube said that exports to China are a big win for Kenya because it has the potential to push Kenya's economic growth.

"The factor endowment for production favors Kenya. With its large population, exports to China will additionally enable increased foreign exchange earnings as well as jobs for young people and women," Marube said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

He said that Kenya's journey to export avocados to China started in 2018 with the signing of several bilateral memoranda of understanding (MoU) granting market access to Kenya's agricultural products.

Kenya began exporting fresh avocados to China on August 2, following the implementation of a signed protocol on phytosanitary requirements. This followed the official visit to Kenya in January by the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Marube observed that about 10 companies have complied with the set standards and have been approved to export fresh avocados to China.

Kenya's Ambassador to China Muthoni Gichohi, who recently graced the official handover ceremony in Beijing of the first batch of Kenya's fresh avocados, lauded the efforts made by Kenya and China toward the achievement.

Gichohi affirmed Kenya's commitment to supporting the business communities in both countries as they look forward to enhancing trade facilitation as well as market access of their products and services.

Government data indicate that the east African nation exports an average of 80,000 metric tons of avocados annually, with main markets over the years being countries in the EU as well as the Middle East.

Marube said that Kenya is currently the world's sixth-largest producer of avocados and the largest African producer of avocados, which are mainly grown by small-scale farmers.
"The export of avocados to the China market has huge potential and experts have estimated that exports to China could account for up to 40 percent of Kenya's total avocado output," he revealed. 

Xinhua