Avocado farmers will be smiling all the way to the bank, after Mauritius, opened its borders for them to export the fruit when President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday signed a deal to have avocados exported to Mauritius.
President Kenyatta arrived in Port Louis, Mauritius in an evening for a four-day State visit accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Monica Juma (Foreign Affairs) and Prof. George Magoha (Education) among other senior government officials. The Commander in Chief held lengthy talks with his Mauritian counterpart Paramasivum Pillay Vyapoory at State House, Le Réduit and later Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth. He noted his visit to the Republic of Mauritius offers a great opportunity to strengthen the brotherly ties that exist between the two nations
During the bilateral talks between the two nations, the government of Mauritius lifted a ban on several Kenyan fresh produce including avocados, baby carrots, baby beans, and broccoli as the two countries signed agreements to enhance trade between them
” Our bilateral relations are founded on shared values, principles and similar aspirations for sustained growth and shared prosperity of our people. The ban lift will help improve Kenya’s exports to the Indian Ocean Island country and is a major boost for horticultural farmers in the country especially women who are the majority in the sector,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta
Both parties witnessed the signing of several agreements including the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA); an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) who also signed an MOU on Cooperation for the Development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Export Processing Zone in Kenya. Other agreements were an MOU in the field of Tourism; an MOU in the field of Higher Education and Scientific Research and an MOU in the field of Arts and Culture
Kenya is bound to benefit immensely from the signed agreements and MOU’s as they would help the country achieve its development goals, particularly in manufacturing and job creation.