The Avocado Growers Association says plans by a Swedish Avocado Company to set up a plant in Zambia will boost avocado farming in the country.

Association Secretary Fesho Lungu says the US$750, 000 investment project, will help the avocado farmers in the country to supply their produce to the company.

Mr. Lungu says the plant will be manufacturing avocado oil and beauty cream saying this will be a plus for the avocado farmers.

He has however lamented that local avocado farmers are failing to export avocado to other countries as they are even failing to meet local demand.

Mr. Lungu says the association is doing enough sensitization so that more farmers appreciate avocado farming and treat it as a business.

He has also advised avocado farmers to consider growing hass avocado which he says has market both locally and internationally.

According to Kenya’s Daily Nation, Kenyan farmers could benefit from a sharp rise in the price of avocados on the international market in the coming weeks because of a shortfall in production in California, the leading US exporter.

Kenya sells around £180 million worth of avocados to the UK alone each year