Sasini PLC Exits Avocado Processing Following Sh69% Export Decline

Sasini PLC Puts Avocado Processing Plant on Sale as Export Volumes PlummetAgribusiness giant Sasini PLC has officially invited tenders for the sale of its avocado processing and packing plant, signaling a strategic retreat from the fruit export market. The move, announced on Friday, comes after a turbulent financial period where the company’s avocado export volumes collapsed by 69% due to persistent logistical disruptions in the Red Sea.

The facility, operated by Sasini Avocado EPZ Limited and located at Sameer Industrial Park in Nairobi, is a casualty of a geopolitical crisis that has made shipping to European markets nearly untenable. For the financial year ending September 2025, Sasini managed to ship only 22 containers of avocados, a staggering drop from the 71 containers recorded the previous year. This decline occurred despite the company returning to an overall group profit of Sh188.7 million, rebounding from a Sh562.9 million loss in 2024.

“The board has decided to dispose of the avocado packing line and related equipment to streamline our operations and focus on more resilient core sectors,” the company noted in its latest strategic update. Sasini’s management attributed the division’s struggles to the closure of the Suez Canal to commercial traffic, which forced ships to take longer, more expensive routes around the Cape of Good Hope, compromising the quality and profitability of perishable fruit.

The plant on offer is a high-capacity facility featuring a four-lane packing line capable of processing eight tonnes of fruit per hour. The sale package also includes specialized ripening chambers, cold storage facilities with a four-container capacity, and a range of support equipment including forklifts and weighing scales. The company has invited sealed bids for the entire unit on an “as-is, where-is” basis, with the tender process set to close on May 8, 2024.

This disposal marks the second major asset sale for Sasini in recent months, following the announcement of the Sh7.9 billion sale of its coffee estates in Kiambu to a real estate developer. While the company will continue its traditional tea and coffee processing operations, the exit from avocado processing highlights the severe impact that global shipping instability is having on Kenya’s horticultural exporters.Industry analysts suggest that without a resolution to the Red Sea security crisis, more large-scale exporters may be forced to downsize their international