Stakeholders shaken over foul avocado border haul

Dr Jacqueline Mkindi, CEO for the Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA) posted to Agriculture minister Hussein Bashe twice posted on the X social media over the matter, saying three days ago that horticultural players are denouncing recent smuggling of unripe avocado into Tanzania through the Namanga border by unscrupulous exporters.

“As we appreciate the TPHPA for being vigilant, we ask Tanzania and Kenya to ban the culprits behind the illegal practices,” she wrote, elaborating two days later that “as the purchasing season gets underway today in Njombe, on Tanzania’s southern plateaus, prospects for farmers to raise glasses and toast for windfall earnings are high.”

The tweet wished the farmers the best as they start reaping the benefits of their hard work, while on another post on X social media page TAHA denouncing efforts to smuggle a cargo of immature avocado, wondering “who is behind the dirty game?”

Officials of the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA) posted at the border seized the consignment being moved by road, apparently to facilitate export to major destinations.

“As we condemn the illegal practice, we also commend the Ministry of Agriculture through the TPHPA for being vigilant,” the key stakeholder said in the statement, underlining that had the cargo found its way to collection centres in Tanzania, “chances are that Tanzania’s image would have been damaged beyond repair in export markets,” explaining that the country would seem to have deliberately been exporting immature butter fruit.

“The confiscation of the smuggled unripe avocado cargo was an extremely critical measure for protecting Tanzania’s image,” the TAHA statement affirmed, emphasizing that protecting the quality of agricultural crops contributes to increased production, attracting investors, guaranteeing food security and boosting incomes of smallholder farmers and the nation at large.

By contrast, export of premature and poor-quality fruits would certainly taint Tanzania’s hard-earned reputation as a hub of excellent agricultural crops, watering down the government’s efforts to spur the agricultural sector and the horticultural industry in particular,” the CEO asserted.

In background remarks on the avocado export stratagem, she said that the government has of late been working to unlock lucrative markets of China, India, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), South Africa and Nordic countries for locally grown avocado.

Avocado is among the fastest growing value chains in horticulture with a huge potential for overseas markets, given its advantages of two production seasons compared to Mexico, Colombia and Peru, the largest producers globally.

Avocados ripen from May to September, with a second harvest season from December to February, while in South America harvests are expected from September to December for Mexico, from September to February in Colombia, and from May to August in Peru. She stated.

Nearly 80 per cent of Tanzanian avocado production relies on rainfall, putting the crop on a competitive edge in the wake of global concern that avocado production, specifically in Mexico, carries enormous and untold environmental costs, the CEO affirmed.

“The illegal trade is not only reducing the value and hard work of producers and exporters of agricultural crops, but also risking big investments in the sub-sector,” she said, urging swift measures, including convening a meeting of authorities responsible for plant health from Tanzania and Kenya to deliberate on the challenge.

The meeting could devise a robust inspection system to end the unscrupulous trade once and for all, she said, demanding that companies implicated in harvesting and selling immature avocados and other crops be removed from the register.

“They cannot be tolerated, as they threaten the welfare of these countries,” she cautioned, advising the Tanzania and Kenya governments to take punitive measures against all traders involved, including revoking their licenses in trading agricultural produce.

The CEO asked farmers and exporters to ensure they meet national and international standards and abide by explicit regulations and standards in accessing regional and international markets.

Companies need to seek correct information from TAHA and the Ministry of Agriculture on production, harvesting and selling procedures for avocados, she stated, expressing intent to work closely with public agencies in taking the horticultural industry to the next level, for the sub-sector to effectively contribute to economic growth.

“TAHA remains committed to working collaboratively with TPHPA and our counterparts in Kenya to curb such malpractices by taking strict actions to ensure immature avocado fruits do not find their way to international markets,” the statement added.