Kakuzi has celebrated the operationalization of the new Port of Lamu with an inaugural 80-ton cargo of Avocados to France.
Fresh Avocados grown at the Kakuzi Makuyu orchards were part of the cargo loaded on cargo Ship MV Seago Bremerhaven at the Port of Lamu en-route France.
Speaking when he confirmed the firm’s export load, Kakuzi Managing Director Chris Flowers said, “As a truly Kenyan agribusiness firm, we are excited at the operationalization of the first berth at the Port of Lamu. This development begins to crystallize the Lamu Port-South Sudan-Ethiopia-Transport Corridor project, which will benefit Kenyan producers immensely and congratulate the Government and the Kenya Ports Authority among the other development partners for this milestone,” Flowers said.
Mr. Flowers further disclosed that Kakuzi had loaded 5 containers of Hass Variety Avocados aboard the container ship MV Seago Bremerhaven destined for the Port of Marseille-Fos, France.
Each container is a 40-foot shipping container with a controlled atmosphere cooling system that keeps the air at 6 degrees and scrubs the air to prevent the fruit from ripening before it arrives. On average, each container holds about 20,000 kilos of fruit packed into 4-kilo cartons. There are about 5,200 cartons in each container.
During its annual AGM meeting, the firm confirmed plans to strengthen its Avocado smallholder base as part of a shared prosperity business plan.
Alongside the smallholder development plans, the firm focuses on agricultural production expansion and diversification projects for its macadamia, blueberry, livestock and commercial forestry business lines.
The firm will this year invest more than Ksh. 400 million in capital expenditures (CAPEX) while focusing on upscaling its smallholder operations value to complement its production capacities and boost the global positioning of Kenyan avocados.