Good fresh produce export year under first quarter rains

Kenya will export more avocados next year compared to 2017 due to improved rains expected to start in March, a new report predicts.

Towards the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017, Kenya experienced a prolonged dry spell which negatively affected the avocado trees which flower within this period. This resulted in a depressed harvest compared to the 2015/2016 season.

“Looking forward, the outlook for 2017/2018 is looking good due to the current rains. Kenya produces an estimated 115,000 metric tonnes of avocado annually, 70 per cent of which is grown by small-scale farmers”, says Mads Skov-Hansen, managing director, Maersk Line Eastern Africa in the report. About three quarters of the avocado fruit grown is exported, the MD says in the A.P. Moller – Maersk’s Trade Report distributed last week.

Apart from the rains, Kenya, the report says, faces a brigher 2018 since the country was almost leaving behind the difficult season of elective politics.

However, a cloud of uncertainty remains partly with the push by the Opposition Nasa to have electoral reform talks followed with another presidential election.

“For the Northern Corridor, the political situation limited the growth of markets this quarter, but subject to stability, we at Maersk have a positive outlook for the Kenyan economy in terms of continued growth,” said Skov-Hansen.

The report says evolution in containerised transport will help Kenya to sidestep hurdles in African markets and sell its fresh produce, among them avocado, at better prices abroad.

The report says that container trade growth rose in the third quarter of 2017, however, it has been limited by the political uncertainty in Kenya, and its effects which spilled over into other key countries served by the Northern Corridor, such as Uganda.

Despite these political influences, the report reveals an improvement in aggregate trade levels over the last quarter, resulting in overall year-on-year growth of three per cent for the region.