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Expect High Prices of Avocados as Government Imposes Harvest Ban

BY Soko Directory Team · November 12, 2019 11:11 am

A Government directive to ban early harvesting of avocados is likely to inflate the prices of the commodity to even higher scales.

The prices of avocados in the local markets scaled up by 200 percent per four-kilogramme packet from 200 shillings in March to 600 shillings in November and is expected to be higher in the coming months.

According to the Directorate of Horticulture, local farmers have been harvesting immature avocados and selling them to the international market taking advantage of the increased demand.

Traders are on a rush quest for the avocados as the prices have hiked for the limited commodity, something that has prompted farmers to harvest the avocados before they are mature enough.

To reduce the number of immature avocados flooding the international market, the government has issued a ban on the harvesting of the commodity taking effect from Mid-November 2019.

Ernest Muthomi, the chairperson for the Avocado Society of Kenya said an agreement has been reached with the regulator to ensure the harvesting has been halted up to March, 2020.

Harvesting of immature avocados has adversely affected Kenya’s avocado market as most of the exported commodity could not meet the required standards in terms of fat content.

The price per unit of avocados in the Middle East, which is among the largest international markets recorded a big drop from 945 shillings the previous year to 425 shillings in March 2019.

Kenya National Bureau of Statistics revealed that Kenya earned about 6.5 billion shillings in 2016 a significant increase from 5.2 billion shillings in 2015.

Kenya was ranked third as the world’s fastest avocado growing country behind Colombia and Morocco and seventh as the leading avocado exporting country.

Ranked among the top avocado growing and exports in the world, Kenya’s earnings from avocado would depreciate if it continues to export immature and low quality fruits.

The government thus seeks to ban the harvesting of the avocados which will take effect from November 15 2019 and will be lifted in February 15 and March 15,2020 for Fuertes and Hass respectively.

Read Also: Colombia Lists Kenya as Africa’s Top Avocado Exporter

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