By Virginia Mwangi / September 26, 2019
Kenya has been ranked among the world’s fastest-growing exporters of avocado by Colombia given its sudden interest in growing the fruit which has overwhelming demand in Europe and China.
In a half year survey of 2019, shared at the ongoing World Avocado Congress in Colombia on Tuesday, Kenya has surpassed South Africa in the production of the fruit.
South Africa, whose economy has been hard hit by Xenophobia, has had its economy crashing with most of its production declining.
Kenya came in at position three after Morocco and Colombia which came at position one as the fastest avocado exporter in the World.
In East and Central Africa, Kenya happens to be the only country that produces and exports avocado.
The United Kingdom (UK), Asia and Europe remain the biggest markets for Avocado as Kenya makes headway in its signed deal to export to China.
The list of other avocado exporter growing countries includes:
Mexico – 2.4 billion dollars
Netherlands – 733.8 billion dollars
Peru – 722.8 million dollars
Spain – 346 million dollars
Chile – 323.2 million dollars
USA – 179 million dollars
Kenya – 118 million dollars
Kenya’s growth in exporting avocados has grown according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) where in 2016, the Country earned 6.5 billion shillings and 5.2 billion shillings in 2015.
Kenya seeks to host the 2023 World Avocado Congress with the event currently ongoing in Colombia where Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria is attending.
Murang’a County remains the largest producer of avocados in Kenya with the other Counties seeking to emulate and encourage their farmers by giving them seedlings.
Kenya has witnessed thousands of its coffee farmers uproot their coffee trees to plant avocados which now enjoy over 7,500 hectares of cultivation.
