Avocado growing in Kenya

A Huge expansion in production areas in many countries will definitely increase the production output in the near future, and the estimated figure of 4 million tonnes worldwide sounds very realistic. When looking at horticulture production in Kenya, one notices that over the last decade there has been a considerable increase in its importance for both the local and export markets as well as for the processing industry. The following statements are quoted from the Annual Report 2003, published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Horticultural Division, Nairobi: “The horticultural sub-sector has continued to grow despite the overall decline in economic growth. It is the second highest foreign exchange earner after tea. The total hectarage under horticulture in 2003 was estimated at about 375 101 ha, out of which 220 000 ha were under vegetables and 151 345 ha under fruits. The total value generated by the sector was KES 28.8 billion in foreign exchange and KES 37.5 billion for the internal trade ($1 = 80 KES). Large-scale growers dominate commercial horticulture, while the majority of horticultural growers are small-scale farmers. The contribution of smallholder growers by volume of exports has declined from about 60% to 50%. A wide range of horticulture crops is grown due to the diverse climatic conditions. These crops are grown under both rainfed and irrigated conditions, but production is inadequate due to seasonality and unreliability of rainfall.”

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