Tanzania has banned a Kenyan firm from buying avocados after the Ministry of Agriculture said it was engaging in illegal practices.
Kandia Fresh Company was disbanded from the business in Njombe, south-eastern Tanzania, after the firm was accused of purchasing premature fruits.
The Minister for Agriculture Hussein Bashe said the company allegedly bought unripe avocados and dumped them at the Njombe Town Council dumpsite.
If that company exists in the country, blacklist it immediately, cancel it's permit, said Bashe.
He later ordered the arrest of the company's employee, David Sifuna Barasa, who was said to have bought the avocados from middlemen without a permit.
Barasa said the fruits had been harvested in good condition but poorly handled when questioned on why he bought unripe avocados.
Two middlemen have been arrested for crop cess evasion and purchase of produce without a government permit, according to Njombe District Commissioner Kissa Kasongwa.
They also fined Tsh 300,000 $12.82 Avocado is quickly becoming Tanzania's new green gold. The Tanzania Horticultural Association said over 11,237 tons of avocados were worth $33 million in 2021.
It is expected to export 15,000 tons this year, generating $45 million in foreign currency. The figures show that Europe imports 85 percent of Tanzanian avocado shipments. France imported the most, followed by the Netherlands and the UK.