Avocado farmers[photo/africabusinesscommunities.com]The government through the Directorate of Horticulture, Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) banned the export of avocado sighting that the country is experiencing a severe shortage of the fruit which has become a favorite as a compliment among many Kenyan dishes.
The shortage has resulted in the increase of the fruit’s price, beyond what most families would afford.
Even though this shortage is partly because avocado (both Hass and Fuerte varieties) are out of season, the recent increase in the volumes of export of the fruit from Kenya is the greatest cause.
While there has been an uproar, mainly from avocado producers, against this directive, future-seeing farmers are celebrating the move.
Contrary to what most people would think of this situation, the prices are most unlikely going to be affected directly by the ban. As the situation stands, the local market craves for avocado; this imbalance of low supply against high demand is going to maintain the prices at a high.
Considering the lucrative prices that the export market offers, there was a risk that some money-hungry farmers and exporters would have started selling premature fruits. This, in the long run, would have adversely affected the quality image that the Kenyan avocados have in the export market, the result of which would have been a spoiled market.
Let us also remember that this is actually a temporary ban meant to safeguard the market interests of the Kenyan avocado producers.
While announcing the ban, Alfred Busolo, the AFA director-general said, “We have stopped the export of Fuerte and Hass varieties because traders would ship out immature crop because of high demand in the world market.