Avocado, the fruit that was a few years ago
left to fall off trees and rot away as dogs celebrated the obvious delicacy,
has now risen to be a cash crop more important than tea and coffee. Last year,
Kenya earned Ksh15 Billion from the export of avocado. Earnest Muthomi, the CEO
of the Kenya Avocado Association, observes that the country is set to earn more
this year.
This year, the avocado farmers who sold their
produce through Kakuzi Company were paid Sh48 per fruit. The company also issued
bonus payments of Sh88 million to about 2,000 farmers during a recent ceremony presided
over by the Murang’a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria.
The prospects of avocado farming business in
Kenya have seen accelerated efforts by various stake holder organizations to regulate
the sector, protect the Kenyan farmer and increase production and fruit
quality.
The Kenya Avocado Association is currently pushing for an extension of the list of pesticides that its members can use to protect the crop. The chairman of the association said that the farmers are currently not using any chemicals for fear that their avocados would be rejected by international buyers. The extension of the approved list of pesticides will not only help the farmer to realize more yields of a higher quality but will also ensure that the fruits are safe and not rejected in the market.
The Kenya Avocado Association is currently pushing for an extension of the list of pesticides that its members can use to protect the crop. The chairman of the association said that the farmers are currently not using any chemicals for fear that their avocados would be rejected by international buyers. The extension of the approved list of pesticides will not only help the farmer to realize more yields of a higher quality but will also ensure that the fruits are safe and not rejected in the market.
In Murang’a County, the government is in the
process of drafting a bill seeking to make law several regulations that will
protect the avocado farmers in the county and the avocado farming industry at
large.
“The Bill, which is being prepared by
stakeholders in the avocado sector, will define the harvesting dates for the
fruits and [will provide for] creation of an avocado protection wing that will penalize
and even impose a ban to markets and exporters who harvest the immature fruits
thus negatively affecting the market for the farmers,” said Murang’a County
Governor.
The Bill, once it becomes law, will also
force all interested buyers to purchase avocados based on grading instead of
the current situation where the fruits are bought at an average price. This will
encourage and reward avocado farmers who focus on producing quality, high grade
fruits.
During the bonus awarding ceremony at Kakuzi,
it was noted that the Kenyan avocado production in Kenya has increased and the
country recently overtook South Africa in sales volume in the international
market. But even with the increased production, Kenya can only feed 6% of the
world market.
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