Kenya will stop exporting macadamia nuts and avocados to keep unwanted produce off the market.
In a statement issued by Andrew Karanja, Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, he said the ban on macadamia harvesting and exports would begin on 2 November 2024 and run until 1 March 2025.
“Traders must submit their current stock for inspection, verification, and clearance by 15 November,” Karanja said.
To prevent farmers from being taken advantage of during this period, Karanja said the government would introduce a minimum guaranteed price for produce sold on the local market.
Bruno Linyiru, director general of the Agriculture Food Authority (AFA), said the suspension of avocado exports would help maintain and grow Kenya’s international market and minimize disruption to the crop cycle caused by harvesting unripe fruit.
He added that harvesting, processing, and exporting immature macadamia nuts results in poor performance of Kenyan produce in the global market.
He said that although the AFA would allow the export of small quantities of fruit by air, sea transport would be banned and the suspension would begin on 25 October.
He said the AFA would reassess the ban in the first week of December and would keep an eye on avocado ripening trends.
To make up for the shortfall in avocados during this period, Linyiru warned exporters against combining avocados with mangoes.
Most of Kenya’s fruit and nut exports go to China, the Middle East, and Europe. The main fruit exported is avocado.
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