First Batch of Kenya’s Zero-Tariff Export Cargo Arrives at Dalian Port

First Batch of Kenya’s Zero-Tariff Export Cargo Arrives at Dalian Port

On May 9, 2026, 13 40-foot containers carrying 320 tons of Kenyan crude avocado oil arrived at Dalian Port. This marked the first shipment of Kenyan agricultural products to benefit from China’s zero-tariff policy for African nations with diplomatic ties, which took effect on May 1. The cargo is valued at 17 million yuan.

In March this year, a ceremony was held in Nairobi to launch the first zero-tariff cargo train from Kenya to China. The goods that now arrived at Dalian Port were precisely the first shipment dispatched that day.

With China’s zero-tariff policy for agricultural products from 34 African countries officially implemented in May 2026, a landmark achievement in China-Kenya economic and trade cooperation has been realized. This batch of avocado oil represents the first Kenyan avocado oil product exported to China under the policy, signaling a substantial step forward in deepening China-Africa agricultural cooperation from simple trade to full industrial chain integration. It also marks the beginning of a new zero-tariff era for China-Kenya agricultural trade.

Policy Dividends Realized, Activating Full Industrial Chain Overseas

On April 27, Qu Ming, Chairman of Sanmark, was invited to attend the “Zero Tariff, Infinite Opportunities” symposium co-hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Kenya and Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. He gave an interview and shared Sanmark’s experience in building a full industrial chain in Africa.

As early as 2024, following the Belt and Road Initiative and the policy direction for overseas expansion of agricultural oil processing, Sanmark incorporated its Africa strategy into its global development plan. After China and Kenya signed the zero-tariff agreement on agricultural products in 2025, Sanmark decisively invested in building a factory in Kenya in March of that year. Within just a few months, a modern plant located in the Athi River Export Processing Zone near Nairobi was completed and put into operation, creating a closed-loop industrial chain from local raw material procurement to local deep processing. This facility has become a multi-oilseed integrated processing base in East Africa.

As a leading enterprise in specialty nutritional oils in China, Sanmark has fully replicated its domestic GMP production standards at its Kenyan plant. Currently, the plant has a daily processing capacity of 70 tons of fresh avocados, producing 8 tons of crude avocado oil. Leveraging the high-altitude climate and abundant sunshine of Kenya, which produce high-quality avocados, Sanmark has introduced core technologies such as low-temperature extraction, constant-temperature quality preservation, and nitrogen flushing to ensure premium quality from the source, adding value to Africa’s high-quality agricultural resources through deep processing.

Riding on the zero-tariff policy, Sanmark has already started planning the second phase of its Kenyan base (by 2027), which will establish full refining capabilities and equip a digitalized bottling line for packaged oil. In the future, the base will be able to ship finished bottled oil directly from Kenya to global customers, enabling the company to expand from B2B raw material supply to B2C branded products, continuously growing its global market share.

The successful arrival of these 13 containers tells a story of two-way synergy: “Chinese smart manufacturing goes global, African quality products return.” A few months ago, the same 13 containers carried oil processing equipment and key supplies from China to Kenya, transferring advanced production line technology to the East African highlands. Now, those machines operate steadily at the Kenyan plant, processing local avocados into international-standard avocado oil, which then travels the same route back to China, completing a full-circle cooperation — from equipment export to industrial capability building and product return.

The avocado oil arriving at Dalian Port will be sent to Sanmark’s Benxi plant for further processing before finally entering kitchens worldwide under the “SANMARK” brand.

Full Industrial Chain Empowerment: A New Model for Win-Win Cooperation

Sanmark’s presence in Kenya is more than just a processing plant. It adopts a full-chain empowerment model “from farming to deep processing,” aligning closely with Kenya’s industrial development goals and achieving shared growth between the company and local communities. This is precisely the core value brought by the zero-tariff policy — not only giving African agricultural products a cost advantage but also promoting local industrial upgrading, employment, and income growth.

On the technology front, Sanmark is advancing the establishment of a jointly built professional laboratory in Kenya that meets international CNAS standards. Currently, Kenya has no government-level inspection standards for avocado oil, and China’s domestic industry standards for avocado oil are still being refined. Sanmark’s initiative will not only ensure its own product quality but also provide strategic support for Kenya in setting national standards for the oil industry, while contributing to the formulation of China’s avocado oil industry standards.

For talent development and employment, Sanmark has set a clear five-year local staff plan: reaching 250 employees by 2030. Already, technical workers at the plant have mastered automated production and quality control skills, transforming from traditional agricultural laborers into professional industrial workers. Meanwhile, the plant has established contract farming partnerships with local growers, ensuring stable incomes through guaranteed purchases.

On trade balance, the current China-Kenya trade relationship sees a surplus of $40 billion in China’s favor. Kenya’s exports to China have long been dominated by primary agricultural products. Under the zero-tariff policy, deep-processed products like avocado oil are expected to see significantly higher export volumes, shifting Kenya’s export structure from primary to high-value-added products and promoting a more balanced trade relationship between the two countries.

Policy Enables Future: Sanmark’s Full-Chain Practice in Africa

The successful arrival of the first zero-tariff avocado oil shipment is not only a milestone for Sanmark’s cooperation with Africa but also a microcosm of deepening China-Africa economic ties. As one of the first African countries to benefit from the zero-tariff policy, Kenya’s high-quality agricultural products — coffee, tea, avocados, nuts, and more — are entering the Chinese market with greater cost advantages. Sanmark will continue to turn policy dividends into development momentum, increasing its investment in Africa. By focusing on avocados, nuts, and other local resources, Sanmark will carry out whole-chain deep processing — from fresh fruit to crude oil, from crude oil to refined oil, and finally to finished bottled oil — continuously raising local product value, so that processed goods are exported not only to China but also to the world.

According to the 2026 plan, Sanmark’s Kenya plant will export 2,000 tons of avocado oil to China. Thanks to the zero-tariff policy, Kenyan avocado oil enjoys a 20% cost advantage over similar products from Mexico, France, Spain, and other countries. Sanmark has stated that it will scientifically adjust its pricing strategy based on tariff reductions, raw material costs, international competition, and other factors, ensuring that the benefits of the policy ultimately reach Chinese consumers.

From a hilly town in Liaoning to the East African highlands, from equipment export to product return, from industrial chain deployment to local empowerment — when policy dividends meet a company’s full-chain capabilities, the winners are not just businesses in two countries but every participant: Kenyan farmers, Chinese processing workers, and ultimately global consumers who taste the “sunshine of East Africa.” This is the true essence of win-win China-Africa cooperation.