The Avocado export season in Kenya has kicked off this month even as exporters of the fruit seek for ways to deal with the logistical challenges occasioned by the Gulf war and disruptions in the Red Sea.
“The recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz has certainly hampered traditional access to the Upper Gulf. However, we haven’t sat still. We are aggressively utilizing landbridge solutions through Jeddah and King Abdullah Port. By offloading at these Red Sea hubs and trucking inland to destinations like Riyadh, Dubai, and Kuwait, we are ensuring that our premium produce reaches Middle Eastern consumers without the uncertainty of the Strait,” said Paul Kyalo, Managing Director of Konza Tropicals.
He said that while February saw significant volatility due to the escalation of regional conflicts, forcing some vessels to seek for safe harbour or taking a re-route around the Cape, there is now some element of stability in schedules.
Sailing has resumed in the Red Sea, although partially, but just enough to keep business according to the exporter.
“We are working closely with shipping lines that have resumed selected Suez transits under naval protection. For the more risk-averse routes, the “around Africa” transit is now a well-oiled machine; while it adds 10–14 days, the predictability allows us to manage the cold chain effectively to ensure arrival quality.
Kenya’s avocado exports to Asia and China remains robust and largely unaffected by the Red Sea bottlenecks.
This has been boosted by China’s new zero-tariff policy on African imports starting this May, which is a strategic pivot that balances out the challenges in the West.
Avocado exports from Kenya are mainly destined to EU Market
“Europe is Kenya’s largest avocado export destination followed by the Middle East, Turkey followed by China,” said Kyalo in an interview with Business Today.
While the current export volumes are lower than the 2022 pre-embargo highs, as some growers wait for the ‘perfect’ window, this has actually resulted in a higher concentration of quality as Kenyan avocado exporters choose the right partners and the routes to ensure that when Kenyan avocados hit the shelves in Europe and the Middle East, they do so with the same excellence the Kenyan brand is known.
Demand for Kenyan avocados remains fundamentally strong, according to Kyalo, despite a clear divergence in how different markets are behaving at the start of this 2026 season.
“The Middle East, Turkey, and China are our most reliable markets right now. In China, specifically, the appetite for Kenyan Hass continues to grow, bolstered by improved trade protocols and a consumer base that increasingly values the high oil content of our fruit.
Prices of Avocado exports from Kenya at the onset of the season (which officially opened on April 2nd) have been stable, reflecting a healthy pull from these regions.
The European market is, however, currently slower according to the exporter.
“This is a calculated slowdown rather than a lack of interest. We are seeing limited volumes heading to the EU. While we have adapted to the longer routes around the Cape, the 10 to14-day extension makes exporters more selective.
There is also a strategic shift to hold back larger volumes for the June to November window.
Historically, this peak and late-summer period offer more market stability and better price prices.
By focusing on the latter half of the year, Kenyan Avocado exporters are not simply shipping fruit, but into market that is ready to pay for quality.
The next few weeks will be the real test for the global avocado market which will be tested by the weekly arrival volumes and the ongoing reliability of re-routed logistics.
“We are working more closely than ever with our importers to synchronize harvesting with vessel schedules. This ensures that even with longer sea transits, the consumer still receives a sustainable, high-quality product. For us, 2026 is the year of reliability over volume,” said Kyalo.
While Kenya’s overall avocado production capacity continues to expand, the ‘ready-to-ship’ volume at this exact moment is tight.
The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) strictly enforced the April 2nd opening to ensure fruit maturity, following a period from December to March where significant volumes were cleared by those with early-shipment exceptions.
This has led to a scenario where, despite being officially “open,” the market is competing for a limited pool of high-quality, export-ready fruit.”
Kenya is also a significant and growing number of commercial processors who are absorbing volumes locally. This creates a healthy price floor for avocado growers who are no longer pressured to export at any price because they have a reliable, high-volume secondary market here in Kenya.
As the global market transitions from Winter and Mediterranean origins to Summer origins, supply to major overseas hubs has yet reached its peak. This early-season scarcity, combined with the logistical hurdles, naturally pushes prices higher as buyers look to secure their pipelines.
“For the Kenyan avocado grower, this is a positive start. It is a seller’s market, provided the quality meets the high standards now required for the 2026 window,” said Kyalo.
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