· Over the last three decades, Avocado has become a lucrative export product.
· The per capita consumption in the US alone rose by a whopping 406% between 1990 and 2017.
· Termed as ‘Green Gold’ Avocado is gaining popularity among farmers in Africa.
Over the last three decades, Avocado has become a lucrative export product. The per capita consumption in the US alone rose by a whopping 406% between 1990 and 2017. Termed as ‘Green Gold’ Avocado is gaining popularity among farmers in Africa. Nigeria and Uganda propose to drastically increase their avocado production to tap the high global demand for the product. Kenya is already amongst the global top ten exporters of the product with export revenues surging by a third between 2019 and 2020.
Environmental concerns like water shortages and the destruction of biodiversity have been raised over the crop by experts. The environmental issues have negatively impacted the commercial farming of avocados in Latin America’s top exporting countries, such as Mexico and Chile.
On the other hand, African scientists and farmers are upbeat about avocado farming. Due to the small size of the holdings and beneficial rain patterns, the crop’s production is expected to be less environmentally harmful than in other parts of the world. Small farms mean less strain on the environment, according to Ruben Sommaruga, Professor of Limnology of the University of Innsbruck. Large industrial production requires large use of pesticides which is usually not the case with smallholder farmers. Moreover, in smallholder settings, the crop is often complemented with other farming enterprises, such as maize and bean crops, planted for subsistence. According to experts, mixing avocado trees with agroforestry systems can curtail negative environmental effects.
African farmers are hailing it as a godsend as an alternative to coffee farming. Of late, fierce competition between large retailers has driven down coffee prices. In 2019, coffee farmers’ earnings dropped to their lowest in 13 years. Farmers are pinning their hope high on the avocado to fill the income gap and as an antidote to poverty in rural areas.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo called the fruit “the new oil of Nigeria” during a meeting with members of the Avocado Society of Nigeria (ASN) and urged them to make Nigeria Africa’s largest avocado exporter by 2030, said Adeniyi Sola Bunmi, Executive Director of ASN.
