Recently, the General Administration of Customs of China announced that it will allow the import of fresh Kenyan avocados that meet relevant requirements. According to the announcement of the General Administration of Customs, fresh avocados of the Hass variety that meet the requirements in Kenya can be exported to China. There are 9 quarantine pests of concern, including Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann, Ceratitis cosyra and Ceratitis rosa Karsch.
The General Administration of Customs requires that fresh avocados exported to China should be fumigated with methyl bromide under the supervision of KEPHIS (Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service). The treatment requires a temperature above 21.1°C, a dose of 32g/m3, and a fumigation treatment duration of not less than 2 hours.
The processing, packaging, storage and shipment of fresh avocados exported to China must be carried out under the quarantine supervision of KEPHIS officials. Avocados must be soaked, cleaned, brushed, selected and removed from inferior fruits (overripe fruits, atypical Hass fruits, scarred fruits, black-spotted fruits, and deformed fruits), and must not have branches, leaves, roots and soil. Make sure that the exported goods do not carry any pests. If the packaged fresh avocado needs to be stored, it should be put into the warehouse immediately and stored separately to avoid re-infection by harmful organisms.
Kenya is Africa's largest producer and exporter of avocados, with the season running from mid-February to November each year. Avocado is an important export agricultural product, accounting for nearly half of the country's total fruit exports.
Due to the prevalence of fruit flies in Kenya, China will only allow Kenyan frozen avocados to be exported to China from 2019. But frozen avocados are expensive and most exporters in Kenya are unable to export them as required.
Kenya exported 84,000 tons of avocados in 2021, with major export destinations including the United Arab Emirates, Finland and France. The Kenyan government once pointed out that the Chinese market is expected to import 40% of Kenya's avocados, making it the country's largest overseas market.
Source: shijieshipin.com