The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has given directives to all exporters, importers and processors of avocado fruit regarding the exportation of fruit.
In a notice dated January 27, AFA stated that it has been monitoring avocado maturity trends and patterns since suspending avocado harvest and export by sea on October 25, 2024.
According to the Authority, a survey on off-season crops carried out in late November 2024, established that there were insufficient production volumes to warrant lifting of the suspension then.
Another survey for main-season crops conducted between the 20th and 23rd of January 2025 indicates that sufficient volumes of Fuerte and Pinkerton varieties are available in some regions.
However, AFA said the Hass variety main season crop is not yet ready for harvest in all the major production regions in the country.
AFA has announced that the opening of Fuerte and Pinkerton harvesting season for sea shipment will commence effective Friday, February 14, 2025.
“Export clearance for Fuerte and Pinkerton then, shall be granted subject to packhouse inspection only,” AFA said.
Hass Exportation Guidelines
The export of Hass will continue by air shipment, except for large own farms or large contracted farms having sufficient volumes of mature off-season crops.
Export clearance by air shipment shall be granted subject to packhouse inspection only.
However, export clearance for Hass off-season crops by sea shipment for large own farms or large contracted farms having sufficient volumes of mature off-season crops shall be granted subject to both farm and packhouse inspection.
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AFA warned that exporters who attempt to ship the Hass variety by sea under the pretence of it being the Fuerte variety—thereby bypassing the required farm inspection—will have their export licenses suspended for the 2025 avocado export season.
The Authority said it will continue to monitor the main season Hass avocado maturity trends and patterns and will convene a stakeholders’ consultative meeting to review the closure notice.
Also Read: KRA Goes After Sugarcane Farmers in New Tax Laws After Avocado Uproar
Meeting with Avocado Stakeholders
Additionally, AFA said the avocado stakeholders’ consultative meeting that was scheduled for January 27, 2025, is rescheduled to a date that shall be communicated later.
AFA emphasized that it enforces the Crops (Horticulture Crops) Regulations, 2020 to ensure that only mature avocado is harvested and exported in order to sustain and grow Kenya’s international markets and minimize interruption of the crop cycle occasioned by harvesting immature fruits that result in reduction of projected volumes in subsequent harvests.
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