Nandi: New Dawn for Farmers as they Export Avocado to Belgium, Netherlands

Nandi Avocado Farmers’ Cooperative Society (NAFCS) has begun direct avocado exports to Belgium and the Netherlands, ushering in a new era for the county’s avocado farmers.

The society airlifted 700kg of avocado samples to the two European markets.

This milestone followed NAFCS’s license by the Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD) on July 10, 2024, and the approaching completion of the Avocado Processing Facility in Lessos, Nandi Hills, which the county administration claims offers the cooperative a competitive advantage over other regional exporters.

In a statement, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang said the move is a new dawn for farmers in the county

“Having supported the Nandi Avocado Farmers Cooperative Society with capacity building and certified seeds distribution, I am pleased to see the significant milestones we have achieved in the sector. For a long time, our small-scale avocado farmers have struggled to access markets individually,” he said.

Sang noted that the avocado aggregation pack house facility in Lessos will help them gain access to these and other foreign markets for avocados.

It has the capacity to aggregate and store 22 tonnes of avocado per day.

He claims that once the plant is completed and fully functioning, avocado farmers in Nandi would be able to reduce post-harvest losses, aggregate and access the vast potential of the export market, resulting in higher pricing and economies of scale.

The Nandi County administration is pushing more farmers to participate in the avocado value chain, which has the potential to significantly raise household income and transform livelihoods.