Kenya has surpassed South Africa as Africa’s leading avocado exporter.
Coffee bushes are quickly being replaced with avocado trees in Central Kenya, home to the majority of the country’s small-scale avocado producers.
However, theft is an issue in this new production. Avocado thieves are driving county farmers to organise vigilante organizations to protect their crops.
Murang’a county is Kenya’s leading avocado producer, with many farmers abandoning other income crops such as coffee and tea to plant avocados.
The billion-dollar avocado industry has been fuelled by surges in international interest, health and wellness experts now call it a super fruit.
Kenya is currently the world’s third-largest producer of avocados. It is the country’s leading export fruit.
Last year, the East African nation overtook South Africa to become Africa’s top exporter of avocados.
