Small scale avocado farmers can now access free fruit maturity testing services during the current harvest season at Kakuzi.

The move, which is part of the firm’s out-grower development programs, will be provided at the company’s Avocado Processing and Packhouse facility near Makuyu town, along the Nairobi-Nyeri highway.

The farmers will also receive detailed pre-harvest reports on quality and maturity of their fruit samples. The current harvest season runs until August.

The program, which focuses on the economic empowerment of smallholder avocado farmers, will also ensure compliance with quality standards and enhance the value of Kenyan fruit in the global market through the sharing of skills and knowledge on avocado farming.

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Kakuzi executive head, corporate affairs, Mr Simon Odhiambo, said the fruit maturity testing services would help cut post-harvest challenges arising from the handling of premature fruits.

“We are encouraging HASS variety Avocado farmers to consider taking advantage of the free fruit maturity testing services at the Kakuzi facility to minimize losses that accrue from the premature harvesting of this precious fruit,” Mr Odhiambo said.

He added that the testing services seek to empower smallholder farmers to access the often lucrative, albeit highly regulated global avocado markets and also, help boost the national branding objectives geared at positioning Kenya as a source of high quality avocado.

Last year, Kakuzi Avocado Smallholder Farmers received KES57.9 million payment and access to the growing international market.

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