In Kenya, vigilante groups known as “green gold” are now being formed to protect Avocado.
This is because the avocado sector in the East African country has become so lucrative that organised criminal gangs now target growers.
Just one tree of the crop can cover the tuition of up to $600 (£450) of a private secondary school student for a whole year.
The increased demand for the fruit led to Kenya overtaking South Africa last year to become the continent’s top avocado exporter.
The vigilantes consisting of mainly young men dress in thick raincoats and arm themselves with torches, machetes and clubs for their night shift where people can get hurt and even killed. Their watch ends at daybreak.
To save their crops from the thieves, farmers have been forced to harvest early because the thieves target the immature fruit.
Avocados tend to be harvested in Kenya between February and October.
The authorities have imposed a ban on exporting avocados from November until the end of January in an effort to clamp down on the black market.
But it is having little effect on the ground.
Though still in its infancy, Kenya’s avocado trade last year, earned Kenyans farmers $132m (£100m) from the exportation of about 10% of the harvested crop, according to the trade ministry.
