North Rift farmers in Kenya make Sh100m from avocados

Avocado farmers in the North Rift earned Sh100 million last year, as earnings from the fruit surged on more exports. Ernest Muthomi, the Avocado Society of Kenya chief executive, said the region is emerging as one of the leading zones of avocado production. He said that between February and March, when there were shortages of the crop in the Central region, farmers in North Rift filled the deficit. “We urge farmers to farm the crop because the counties under North Rift Economic Bloc have a good climate and the crop matures late. Due to late harvests, farmers enjoy good prices since there is a scarcity on the market,” said Mr Muthomi. Annually, Kenya's production stands at 84,000 metric tonnes valued at Sh15 billion and the society is working to hit 150,000 metric tonnes next year. Currently, a kilo of avocado fruit fetches Sh70 to Sh100 on the global markets, as Kenya competes with crops from Peru and Mexico. There is good uptake of the crop, with an estimated 10,000 hectares ...