Gov’t Warns Mango Exporters Secretly Shipping Avocados
Gov’t Warns Mango Exporters Secretly Shipping Avocados
Gov’t Warns Mango Exporters Secretly Shipping Avocados
Following a prohibition last week to give avocados time to ripen, a state body on Tuesday cautioned exporters of mangos who mix the fruit with avocados to sneak out. The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) informed mango exporters in a notice that it had learned of reports of collusion between certain avocado exporters and mango exporters.
Our attention has been drawn to the fact that certain exporters are combining consignments of avocado and mango for shipping by sea after the avocado harvesting season ends. A portion of the notification stated, “This is in violation of the Crops (Horticultural Crops) Regulations, 2020 Section 20(5).” Mangos are exported by Kenya to the Middle East market, albeit in tiny amounts that are processed, and dried fruit is sent to the UK, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Since then, the government has mandated that all exporters of mangoes submit an online application for a physical examination of their consignments prior to authorization for shipment. The application should provide the pack house’s location, per the authority, to make inspections easier.
The purpose of the inspection is to confirm that the amount exported for which a permit is requested actually consists entirely of mango fruits.Given the foregoing, the AFA mandated that all mango exporters be notified that, as of Monday, November 13, 2023, they must ask for a physical examination of their mango consignments.Exporters of mangoes who disregard the new guideline may lose their licenses.In order to give the avocados time to ripen before selling them again, the AFA halted their exports last week.
The AFA Director-General Willis Audi said, “Following the survey’s findings, we hereby notify the Kenyan avocado stakeholders that the Hass, Pinkerton, Fuerte, and Jumbo harvesting season and export by sea for the 2023/2024 fiscal year shall be in force with effect from November 3, 2023.” China is the main destination for the nation’s 20,000 metric tons of avocado exports each year.
