In the first seven months of 2024, Kenya shipped only 742,934 kg of avocados to China, a remarkable 80% decline from the same period last year when imports totaled 3,674,463 kg.
This is reported by reefertrends, citing data from the Chinese customs authority. As a result, Kenyan avocado exporters’ revenues for these shipments to China fell by 82% from January to July 2024, compared to the same period last year. Although China’s share of Kenya’s avocado exports is small, local producers had previously hoped that the country’s large population would boost sales and reduce their dependence on the European Union. When talking about the Chinese market, which in fact has 1.4 billion potential consumers, one cannot ignore how low avocado consumption is in this country.
Annual per capita consumption of avocados in Asia currently stands at less than 0.05 kg, far below the 1.6 kg consumed in Europe. While 2023 was a banner year for Kenyan avocados in the Chinese market, with total export volumes reaching 4,342 tonnes, Kenyan exports to the European Union totalled 64,980 tonnes – almost 15 times the amount shipped to China. Not surprisingly, this year, which was marked by a drop in production and a subsequent decline in exports from avocado heavyweights such as Peru and Mexico, Kenyan avocado traders saw better opportunities in the European market and preferred it as an export destination.
