Listed agricultural firm Kakuzi is planning a major commercial expansion of blueberry farming that will see acreage rise more than eightfold to 82 hectares by 2029 as the company deepens diversification away from traditional crops such as avocados.
Fresh disclosures by the firm’s UK-based parent Camellia Plc show Kakuzi will scale blueberry production from the current 10 hectares to 22 hectares by the end of this year before embarking on further expansion over the following three years.
The planned growth signals Kakuzi’s increasing focus on blueberries as one of its next major export products amid rising pressure on earnings from avocados and other traditional agricultural segments.
“In late 2025 the board supported two new growth projects: the development of 400 hectares of citrus at the Maruque farm in Brazil, and the decision by Kakuzi in Kenya to transition its blueberry trial to a commercial operation,” Camellia said in its latest annual report.
Camellia added that the projects would require about £15 million (Sh2.64 billion) in capital expenditure over the next six years as part of efforts to extract greater value from existing assets and expertise.
The latest disclosures significantly raise the scale of Kakuzi’s earlier blueberry ambitions after the company had previously indicated plans to add 15 hectares to the existing 10-hectare pilot operation during 2026.
Kakuzi’s confidence in the crop has strengthened following the blueberry unit’s first profitable year since the pilot project was launched in 2019. Disclosures in the company’s latest annual report show the blueberry business generated a Sh5 million profit in 2025 after recording a Sh19 million loss the previous year.
The turnaround was supported by stronger production volumes and improved export prices. Output rose to 90 tonnes from 53 tonnes while average selling prices increased to $12.40 (about Sh1,600) per kilogramme from $11.54 previously.
Despite logistical disruptions along the Red Sea shipping route affecting exports, Kakuzi’s avocado profits nearly doubled to Sh709 million in 2025. The group’s overall net profit recovered to Sh387.6 million from a Sh131.7 million loss in 2024 as revenues climbed 12.1 per cent to Sh5.37 billion.
