Serbia is turning out to be a central destination for avocados in Southeastern Europe. This is being driven by fast-paced urbanization in the country. About 60% of the citizens live in towns and cities with a majority of them living in the capital city, Belgrade.
Unlike in the past, avocado is now among the fruits that are highly consumed in Serbia. Since consumer purchasing power for those in urban areas has risen, it has resulted in more sales of the fruit. Serbia is expected to expand its trade of buying avocados because Serbians have a strong tradition of eating fruits.
Serbia Avocado Imports
Considering that avocado production in Serbia is non-existent, imported avocados are available in the domestic market for most part of the year. In 2023, Serbia shipped in nearly 2,200 tonnes of avocado. It is an increase of 26% from the previous year.
Over the past decade, avocado imports in Serbia have enjoyed year on year growth. The highest jump in volume was recorded from 2019 to 2020 at 85%. The peak volume was in the year 2023 at 2,197 tonnes.
Here is the import volume of avocados in Serbia between 2012 and 2023.
Importing Avocados in Serbia
Here is a step by step guide on how to import avocados in Serbia:
Avocado Supplying Countries to Serbia
The avocado import market in Serbia has been dominated by Chile in the last three years after taking the top spot from Israel. Kenya is among the top five suppliers. It has gained in market share from exporting avocados worth 5,000 US Dollars to reach about 500,000 US Dollars in 2023. The Serbian avocado market is made up of a diversity of sources.
The other key avocado exporting countries to Serbia are:
- Peru
- Spain
- South Africa
- Israel
- Colombia
It also imports avocado in small volumes from countries like:
- Mexico
- Turkey
- Greece
Serbia brings avocado from abroad only through its main airport. This is because it is a landlocked country. Avocados get into the country as air freight by way of the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. The airport has a cargo terminal and cold storage rooms that keep avocados fresh as they were when harvested.
How to Know Reliable Avocado Suppliers in Serbia
Avocado importers in Serbia must present the following documents for their shipment to be released by the customs office:
- Import permit
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Airway Bill
- Phytosanitary Certificate
- Certificate of Origin
Sourcing Avocados from Kenya
Here are some advantages Kenya has in supplying avocados to Serbia:
- 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 Serbia
| COUNTRY | AIR FREIGHT | SEA FREIGHT |
| Kenya | 7 hours 10 minutes | |
| Chile | 16 hours 15 minutes | |
| South Africa | 10 hours 20 minutes |
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. 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.