The avocado has shot up in popularity in recent years. It is riding the wave of newly discovered superfoods. Consumer interest in the fatty fruit is at an all-time high and is expected to grow even further. This is also the case in Dubai.
Dubai has been making moves to source avocados from abroad. Avocados enter the emirate as air freight through either the Dubai or Al Maktoum International Airports and as sea freight through the Port of Jebel Ali. These points of entry can handle big volumes of cargo and have cold rooms to keep avocados fresh.
Avocado Market in Dubai
In 2023, Dubai shipped in nearly 22,000 tonnes of avocado. It is a decrease of 24% from the previous year. The avocado market in Dubai is dominated by Kenya. In the year 2023, Kenyan avocados accounted for about 30% of the total imports.
Here is the import volume of avocados from Kenya in Dubai between 2012 and 2023.
Avocado in Dubai
Out of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai is the largest in terms of population. More than two million people live in and around the city of Dubai. This offers a huge domestic consumption market for avocado from Kenya.
The modern culture of eating avocados has taken over Dubai due to its largely cosmopolitan nature. Being a well-known tourist destination has also greatly influenced food habits of the locals. Emiratis now love the fruit so much that there is a café, located in the city, that only serves avocado in any form their customers fancy.
Avocados from Kenya have proved to be a hit in Dubai. Over the last 10 years, their import value has risen sharply. Kenyan avocado exports to Dubai were worth 8 million US Dollars in 2012 and reached about 20 million US Dollars in 2023.
Avocado Dubai
Kenya plays a large role in supplying avocados to Dubai. Kenyan avocados are available during the peak tourist season and summer months of the city. They are mainly sold in wholesale markets, supermarkets and smaller retail outlets.
Most avocado consumers in Dubai prefer green skin types of avocado because of their lower cost and large size. Concurrently, avocado season in Kenya starts with the Fuerte variety while other green skin varieties come later. However, there is a growing number of people who like Hass variety better. Kenyan Hass avocados come into season one month later than Fuerte.
Here are some of the ways Kenya has set itself apart from the other countries that export avocados to Dubai:
- The transit time from Kenya to Dubai is about five hours via air freight and about 10 days via sea freight. This is shorter compared to those from South American countries.
- The short journey makes it is easier to maintain consistency in freshness, taste and quality.
- Avocado importers in Dubai incur lower logistical costs due to the close proximity between Kenya and UAE.
- Kenyan avocados are competitively priced as a result of relatively low production and transportation costs.
- Kenya can supply Dubai with avocados of mixed sizes.
Here is 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. We source avocados from our company farm and partner farms.
We give competitive pricing to our customers and guarantee reliable delivery time.
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 for both air and sea freights. All of our avocado packing is approved by FDA and is certified by HACCP Quality Assurance.