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Kakuzi To Offer Free Fruit Maturity Testing Services For Smallholder Farmers
Kakuzi will provide free fruit maturity testing for smallholder farmers as the Hass avocado harvesting and export season begins.
The listed agribusiness and superfoods producer, Kakuzi PLC, will start offering free Hass avocado maturity testing at its Murang’a County Packhouse from Monday next week.
In a notice dated March 3, 2025, the Agriculture and Food Authority-Horticultural Crops Directorate (AFA-HCD) announced that Hass avocado harvesting for sea export will begin on March 17, 2025.
Kakuzi to offer free fruit maturity testing services for smallholder farmers as the Hass avocado harvesting and export season opens
Notably, with the opening of the 2024/2025 avocado export season, Kakuzi will, for the fourth consecutive year, provide free maturity testing services to smallholder farmers exporting their produce as part of the national quality assurance strategy.
Additionally, the free maturity testing targets smallholder avocado farmers in the Mt. Kenya region and beyond.
Kakuzi to offer free fruit maturity testing services for smallholder farmers as the Hass avocado harvesting and export season opens.
Further, the Directorate notes that the free testing will be available at the FSSC 22000 Food Safety Management Systems certified Kakuzi Avocado Processing and Packhouse facility located near Makuyu town, along the Nairobi-Nyeri highway.
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Kakuzi PLC Managing Director, Mr. Chris Flowers, emphasizes that the firm will offer free testing services at its laboratories to uphold Kenya’s reputation as a quality avocado exporter.
“The export of immature fruit, for any reason, can seriously harm our national positioning,” says Mr. Flowers.
“To mitigate this risk, Kakuzi supports smallholder farmers through various initiatives, including fruit testing to ensure compliance with global quality standards,” he adds.
“The avocado export market faces logistical challenges due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East,” he notes.
“For this reason, we urge smallholder farmers to use Kakuzi’s free maturity testing services before harvesting and packing their fruit for export,” he adds.
Kakuzi to offer free fruit maturity testing services for smallholder farmers as the Hass avocado harvesting and export season opens
Kakuzi to offer free fruit maturity testing services for smallholder farmers as the Hass avocado harvesting and export season opens.
Additionally, AFA has emphasized that its inspectors will inspect all avocado exports.
Exporters must apply for inspection at least three days before shipment.
“Exporters or their agents transporting avocados without crates or in open pick-up trucks or Probox vehicles, in violation of Horticulture Regulations, will face penalties,” notes the AFA-HCD Director General.
“All avocado dealers must take full responsibility for production and post-harvest handling to ensure compliance with regulatory and market requirements,” he adds.
The Agriculture and Food Authority-Horticultural Crops Directorate (AFA-HCD) is mandated to develop, regulate and promote the horticulture industry.
It also enforces horticulture sector regulations to ensure quality and safe produce is marketed locally and internationally.
Lastly, farmers must harvest and export only mature avocados to sustain and expand Kenya’s international markets.
This practice also preserves the crop cycle by preventing disruptions caused by harvesting immature fruits and helps maintain projected volumes for future harvests.
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