China requires Kenyan avocados to be peeled and frozen to -30 ° C before being exported, and to be kept frozen at -18 ° C while being transported to their destination.
According to a report in Business Daily Africa, the first batch of Kenyan avocados this year arrived in China last month. However, China's strict access requirements still put Kenya under pressure.
According to an agreement reached between Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta and China in April 2019, China will only allow Kenya's frozen avocados to enter the country to prevent pests such as fruit flies, which are common in Kenyan fruits. Due to the lack of facilities for fruit freezing treatment in most of Kenya's export enterprises and small farmers, Kenya avocado has been unable to enter the Chinese market in large scale. The Kenyan government has been working hard to negotiate with China, hoping to relax the relevant quarantine regulations.
The government has opened negotiations through the Ministry of trade and expects to qualify the country's companies for fresh avocado exports to China. At the same time, the government is also trying to build infrastructure that can meet the current requirements of China.
China requires Kenya avocado to be peeled and frozen to - 30 ℃ before export and - 18 ℃ on the way to the destination, which means that exporters have to invest a lot of money in the freezer.