By John Majau
Avocado farmers across the country have been urged to harvest mature fruits in order to boost the product’s international market.
Addressing farmers at Kaguru in Imenti South, the Avocado Society of Kenya CEO Earnest Muthomi said the Kenyan avocado market has greatly been affected by low quality produce caused by premature harvest.
“Kenyan avocado is very marketable. In fact, there is a high demand of it globally but some unscrupulous traders are misleading the farmers to harvest premature fruits which do not meet the recommended ‘dry-matter’ content thus causing the fruits to get rejected by international countries,” Muthomi said.
He added that the country earns about Ksh15 billion annually from the fruit’s export.
Muthomi called on the Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) to ensure that only mature fruits are approved for export to avoid ruining the country’s market.
He further cautioned farmers against selling the fruits to unauthorized agencies or companies which he blamed for luring the farmers into harvesting premature fruits which they then buy at a compromised price.
“HCD needs to ensure the laws governing the crop are adhered to because there are some companies that are still exporting avocados with high moisture content by corrupting some officers. This is posing a great threat to the market because they get rejected,” Muthomi noted.
He however called on more Kenyans to invest in avocado farming.
“Kenyans should invest in avocado farming. It is a lucrative business,” he noted.
