Zambia has begun the mass avocado exports to Europe, after the country met the phytosanitary requirements to export the fruit into Europe.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture Green Mbozi says the first consignment consisted of over 37 tons of the fruit.
Further, the country’s agricultural ministry is in the process of finalizing discussions with South African authorities to start exporting avocados to South Africa.
Currently, South Africa leads the region with an 8kg per capita consumption of avocados. Zambian avocado farmers are aiming to meet the growing demand of the fruit not only in South Africa but in other far reaching markets such as Europe.
The Ministry of Agriculture hopes that this avocado exports to regional and international market sparks more export activity within the local avocado farming community.
Elsewhere, Kakuzi Plc, a listed Kenyan Agricultural Company trading on both the Nairobi and London Stock Exchange, secured approval from the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), to process and prepare export-grade fresh avocados for the Chinese market.
The firm became one of the first local entities to obtain such approval from KEPHIS following a stringent phytosanitary audit for its extensive Kakuzi farms and Packhouse.
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