NAIROBI, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan plant health regulatory agency said Monday it has kicked off talks with its counterparts in Malaysia to secure a broader international market footprint.
Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service said it has been working hard to secure export market access for local avocado growers beyond the traditional European markets.
KEPHIS Managing Director Theophilus Mutui said an audit team from Malaysia's National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) concluded pest-risk and field assessments at the integrated agro-business firm Kakuzi, in Murang'a county, central Kenya, last week as part of the bilateral engagements.
He said local avocado growers and exporters may soon enjoy further market diversification opportunities in Malaysia as part of ongoing trade facilitation efforts by KEPHIS.
"Following the success of our venture to China, we are now engaging NPPO from Malaysia, who have undertaken field audits at Kakuzi. Our growers may commence avocado exports to Malaysia early next year if all goes well," Mutui said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.
Kakuzi is a listed Kenyan agricultural company trading on both the Nairobi Securities Exchange and London Stock Exchange and engaging in the cultivation, processing and marketing of avocados, blueberries, macadamia, tea, livestock and commercial forestry.
Kakuzi Managing Director Chris Flowers said the NPPO Malaysia audit team had conducted field audits and protocol assessments at the firm's Makuyu avocado orchards and packhouse.
Flowers said Kakuzi became the first African firm to officially undertake commercial sales of avocados in the Chinese market earlier this month and is looking forward to the Malaysia opportunity.
The Malaysia field and facility audits come hot on the heels of similar inspections recently undertaken by the Chinese authorities. The statement came after Kenya announced that the first consignment of fresh avocados hit the Chinese market Sunday.
The Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency CEO Wilfred Marube said the exports to China are a big win for Kenya because it has the potential to pull Kenya's economic growth through the international trade of avocados.
Government data indicate that the east African nation exports an average of 80,000 tonnes of avocados annually, with main markets over the years being countries in the European Union as well as the Middle East.
