MAERSK Line containers at the port of Mombasa. [Photo/businessdailyafrica.co.ke]Fresh avocado exporters have a reason to smile after an international shipping line MAERSK Line introduced containerized cold storage facilities.According to the Business daily, MAERSK Line Eastern Africa Managing Director Mads Skov Hansen during the release of the third quarter A.P. Moller Maersk shipping report, said that the introduction of the cold storage facilities will revolutionize the fresh farm products trade.
“For Kenya’s avocado exporters, the inception of controlled atmosphere containers has created a fundamental change,” Hansen said.
He said that initially avocado farmers have been having trouble to export their products to far markets such as Middle East and Europe but this will change with the introduction of the new technology by MAERSK Line.
“Before the new technologies were available, the Middle east had been as far as the exporters could reach in containers,” he added.
Releasing the report Skov-Hansen said that out of the 170,000 metric tonnes of avocados produced, 140,000 were sold to the export market where a metric tonne goes for Sh.180,000 which is three times the original price.
“Now, Europe, where the fruit sells for roughly triple the price is within reach,” he said.