NAIROBI, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has opened the harvesting of avocado for export from March after a four-month suspension, an industry regulator said.

The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), through the Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD), closed the 2023/2024 fiscal year of avocado season in November 2023 to ensure the maturity and quality of exported fruit.

"All exporters are required to submit a list of their horticultural produce marketing agents or suppliers before Feb. 26," the AFA said in a notice released late Thursday. "Exporters are also required to strictly transact with marketing agents with valid registration permits."

The lifting of the suspension followed an HCD avocado field survey in January to ascertain maturity indices and volumes of the avocado fruit in major production zones.

"The fruits were deemed insufficient then, and thus necessitating an extension of restriction on avocado shipment by sea," the directorate said, adding that it has now established improvement in maturity of avocado fruits in major production zones.

Kenya, one of the leading avocado producers in Africa, exports the fruits to the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, China, France, Spain, Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

The directorate said that all export produce will be subject to inspection by AFA-HCD inspectors, and exporters are required to apply for inspection at least three days before shipment.

"All avocado dealers are also required to take full responsibility of production and postproduction processes to guarantee compliance to regulatory and market requirements," the directorate said.

According to the AFA, a state agency established to develop, regulate and promote scheduled crops, Kenya exports up to 20,000 metric tons of avocados annually to the EU and the Middle East.

Kenyan farmers mainly cultivate three varieties of avocados -- Hass, Pinkerton, Fuerte and Jumbo.

In 2019, Kenya signed a deal to export avocados to China, along with other horticultural produce.