First Shipment of Tanzanian Avocados Arrives in China

According to a recent report by IPP Media, one of East Africa’s largest media conglomerates, the first shipment of Tanzanian avocados has successfully arrived in China. Valued at approximately $18,500, the shipment, consisting of 24 metric tons of Hass avocados, departed on Oct. 28 and arrived in Hong Kong on Nov. 18 after a three-week sea journey.

The inaugural shipment represents a collaborative effort between Tanzania’s pioneering avocado company Africado, the Tanzania Horticultural Association, South Africa’s Westfalia Ltd. and the Chinese company Mr. Avocado. The avocados have now arrived at Mr. Avocado’s ripening and distribution center in South China, where they will be processed prior to nationwide distribution.

Avocados are the first fresh fruit from Tanzania to gain market access to China. As the third-largest avocado producer in Africa, following South Africa and Kenya, Tanzania primarily exports its avocados to Europe and the Middle East. However, China is now expected to become another promising market. In 2023, Tanzania exported 26,826 metric tons of fresh avocados, generating approximately $73 million in revenue.

In early November 2022, during a state visit by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan to China, the two countries jointly signed a protocol outlining the phytosanitary requirements for Tanzanian fresh avocados exported to China. Later that month, China’s General Administration of Customs announced that Tanzanian fresh avocados meeting the relevant standards were permitted for import. In March 2024, Chinese customs officials conducted compliance inspections of Tanzanian avocado plantations, and in mid-August, they released a list of six plantations that had successfully passed the inspections.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.