Joyce Kamau, a Kenyan farmer, is making a fortune from an avocado farming venture he started in 2018.
During her first harvest in 2020, which took 2.5 years to reach full maturity, Joyce could not export the avocados abroad due to the pandemic that had hit the world and instead sold the fruits to local buyers at a cheaper price.
“I started farming in 2018 but it took 2.5 years for the avocadoes to reach full maturity making my first harvest in 2020.
“I did not make a lot of money from my first harvest due to the tough economic situation brought by the pandemic,” she disclosed during an interview with China Daily on Thursday, February 2.
At that time, the price of an avocado could only go 18.68 Kenyan Shillings per kilogram for farmers compared to now, which ranges between sh35 and 45 Kenyan Shillings.
Joyce’s fortunes came back in August 2021 when Kenya started exporting avocados to China after many years of waiting, occasioned by regulatory requirements by the authorities in Beijing.
She disclosed that this led to an increase in avocado prices among local exporters. They could sell 1 kg of avocados for as high as 37.36 Kenyan Shillings.
Joyce joined the Avocado Society of Kenya (ASK) to enhance her bargaining power in the international market.
On why farmers should join ASK, she explains that through membership, local companies exporting avocadoes to China get to buy your produce.
“As a farmer, I do not individually export my avocados to China, but I have supplied exporters who sell to the Chinese market. With the new market prices, I can make up to two million in a year, up from what I was making,” Kamau said.
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Newton Maina, the Sales and Marketing manager of the Avocado Society of Kenya, revealed that Kenya exported Sh. 6.7 billion worth of fresh and frozen avocados to China in 2022.
He claims that they expect to double the exports to China this year because they will start shipping from the beginning of the season, from March on-wards.
“In 2023, we expect the figure to double since we will start shipping from the beginning of the season on March 2023 on-wards,” he revealed.