NAIROBI, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's avocado exports reached 16,000 tons in the first eight months of 2024, compared to 14,000 tons in 2023, a trade association said on Friday.
The growth in exports was attributed to the increasing land under cultivation by farmers seeking to tap into the lucrative horticultural trade, said Hosea Machuki, chief executive officer of the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya.
"We expect to export 17,000 tons by the end of the year," Machuki told Xinhua during a day-long workshop in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Kenyan farmers mainly cultivate Fuerte, Hass, Pinkerton, and Jumbo avocado varieties.
Machuki added that key export destinations include the European Union and the United Arab Emirates, with China emerging as a new market. ■