Fresh avocados from Kenya have gained a competitive edge in the Chinese market, helping foster the full-scale development of the country’s agricultural sector.
Starting May 1 this year, China fully implemented the zero-tariff policy for 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties. The policy is a major boon for Kenya, a major African producer and exporter of avocados and the first African country to export fresh avocados to China.
Since the policy launched, Kenya has seen a rapid wave of expansion in the industry, spanning orchards and processing plants.
“We’re the first exporter of fresh and frozen avocado to China from Kenya and Africa. The business with China is growing and we are seeing that with the zero tariff and 25 days, we can get to market very much more competitively than other origins,” said Hasit Shah, CEO of Vertical Agro Limited.
The fruit, which is popular with fitness enthusiasts and common in light meal restaurants, is the livelihood of tens of thousands of local farmers. Many live and work in the main avocado production area of Naivasha, 570 kilometers away from the Mombasa Port.
Naivasha mainly depends on the Mombasa Port to export goods. In the past, transporting goods to the port usually took well over 10 hours, with trips sometimes spanning days. Now, as the Mombasa-Nairobi railway has been extended to Naivasha, the transport time has been shortened to around nine hours.