Dubai is a massive destination for avocados in the Middle East region. This is in view of the fact that it’s the most populated emirate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). More than 2 million people live in and around the city of Dubai.
As one of the fastest growing cities in the world, Dubai offers a ready market for avocado. The city’s geographical position on the Arabian Gulf makes it easier for avocado importers to bring in the fruit in mass. Since Dubai is an important economic center, consumer purchasing power is strong.
Being a tourist hub, Dubai is seeing a big demand for avocado. Sales of the fruit surge during peak tourist season. The thriving tourism sector has left a mark on the culture of eating fruits. Avocado is now in the list of the most bought fruits in Dubai.
Given that avocado has gained a global reputation, people in Dubai are also in the know. This is partly because the city is a global trading place. Part of the avocados imported into Dubai are meant for re-export to other countries in the Middle East. The avocado business in Dubai is poised for rapid growth in the coming years.
Dubai Avocado Imports
Seeing as there is no avocado production in Dubai, imported avocados are available in the domestic market for most part of the year. In 2023, Dubai shipped in nearly 22,000 tonnes of avocado. It is a decrease of 24% from the previous year.
Over the past decade, avocado imports in Dubai have enjoyed year on year growth. The highest jump in volume was recorded from 2012 to 2013 at 38%. The peak volume was in the year 2022 at 28,339 tonnes.
Here is the import volume of avocados in Dubai between 2012 and 2023.
Import Volume of Avocado in Dubai.
Importing Avocados in Dubai
Here is a step by step guide on how to import avocados in Dubai:
Avocado Supplying Countries to Dubai
The avocado import market in Dubai is dominated by Kenya. In 2020, avocados from Kenya accounted for about half of the total imports. Kenya has gained in market share from exporting avocados worth 8 million US Dollars to reach about 18 million US Dollars. The Dubai avocado market is made up of a diversity of sources.
The other key avocado exporting countries to Dubai are:
- Mexico
- Peru
- Chile
- Colombia
- South Africa
It also imports avocado in small volumes from countries like:
- The United States (US)
- Uganda
- Rwanda
Dubai brings avocado from abroad through its main airport. Avocados get into the country as air freight by way of the Dubai International Airport. The airport has a cargo terminal and cold storage rooms to keep avocados fresh as they were when harvested.
The other way avocados enter Dubai is through its main commercial sea port. Avocados get into the country as sea freight by way of the Port of Jebel Ali. The sea port has a modern container terminal.
How to Know Reliable Avocado Suppliers in Dubai
Avocado importers in Dubai must present the following documents for their shipment to be released by the customs office:
- Import permit
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Bill of Lading or Airway Bill
- Phytosanitary Certificate
- Certificate of Origin
Sourcing Avocados from Kenya
Here are some advantages Kenya has in supplying avocados to Dubai:
- It has a longer season that lasts from February to October.
- Production costs are low therefore avocados from Kenya are competitively priced.
- Most of Kenya is covered by a sub-tropical climate which ensures consistency of quality and supply.
Average Transit Time of Importing Avocados in Dubai
| COUNTRY | AIR FREIGHT | SEA FREIGHT |
| Kenya | 5 hours | 11 days |
| Mexico | 18 hours 20 minutes | 45 days |
| South Africa | 8 hours 30 minutes | 19 days |
Here is a top avocado exporter in Kenya.
Freshela Exporters
Freshela is a Kenyan based company that engages in the sourcing, processing and exporting of avocados and other fresh produce.
Freshela is a proud exporter of Kenyan avocados. Our avocados are organically grown in the most ideal climatic conditions in Kenya.
We source avocados from our company farms and partner farms. Our partner farmers are proud and happy working with us.
Our avocados are cultivated with uncompromising dedication to excellence and freshness. We guarantee optimum maturity of avocados.
We give competitive pricing to our customers.
We use a modern grading machine to achieve desired avocado weight. The fruit is also graded to eliminate any with physical quality defects.
We pack avocado fruit in 4kg cartons for both air and sea freights. We use dry wooden pallets to pack the cartons. Each pallet for sea freight takes 276 cartons while each pallet for air freight takes 144 cartons.
All of our avocado packing is approved by FDA and is certified by HACCP Quality Assurance.
The avocados in our pack house go through accurate machine selection. The avocados are classified according to dry meter, size, colour and external skin defects.
After packing, we pre-cool our avocados to 5°C in our cold rooms. This reduces field heat immediately after packing.
This process conserves the weight of our avocados preventing them from softening, water loss and wilting. Long shelf life is guaranteed because our avocados stay fresh throughout the supply chain. Our customers are happy because of the high quality of avocado we deliver.
The pre-cooling process is in preparation for shipping. We maintain the cold temperatures and achieve consistent preservation by loading close to the cold rooms.
Our trained staff properly seal the refrigerated containers. Our quality assurance team then confirms before the containers leave the pack house. The avocados are now ready for export.
We ship in controlled atmosphere (CA) refrigerated containers (reefer.)
By working directly with avocado growers and cooperatives, we are able to deliver our produce within a short lead time. We believe that growers grow and exporters export. That is how our growers are able to do what they do best and in return we guarantee superior, quality produce.