The production of avocado in South Africa reached approximately 114.5 thousand metric tons in 2018/19, up from roughly 86.1 thousand metric tons in the previous period. He explained that locally, the closure of the hospitality and restaurant industries, as well as informal traders’ struggles to obtain essential services permits from the authorities, had resulted in a “quite severe” negative impact for South Africa’s growers and packhouses early on in the lockdown period. Kenya. Visit the SA Department of Health’s website for COVID-19 updates: www.sacoronavirus.co.za, And for the consumer, we have 8 reasons why eating avocados is both beneficial and healthy to eat. Volumes of avocados produced in South Africa during the last ten years are presented in Figure 2. View this video to gain more insight of the industryView the video​…, Enjoy your avocado with every meal of the day, even as a snack. South Africa’s avocado production has grown exponentially with about 2 000ha under orchards in 1970 to 19 000ha today. Avocado is a tropical fruit and looks similar to pear fruit. Avocado Growers Association of Zambia (AGAZ) chairperson Smart Lungu says local farmers can produce 40 000 tons of avocado to satisfy the demand in South Africa. Farming South Africa on Chicken Farming South Africa – What is a Ross Broiler? “Negotiations to export to South Africa are advanced. Photo: Pxhere. Poplar Creek is situated in the beautiful Schoemanskloof Valley, along the Crocodile River in Mpumalanga, South Africa, about 30 kilometres south west of the provincial capital, Nelspruit. The 30+ hectares of Avocado plantations are divided into 11 blocks and 31 Orchards. However, due to growing global demand and to produce year round, production is […] Reduced demand for avocados from the food-service and hospitality industries on South Africa’s export markets have resulted in export volumes being adjusted down from 18,5 million 4kg cartons to 16 million 4kg cartons. “Although South Africa is planting 1,000 hectares a year, we would like to plant a lot more,” Lewis said. Production in these provinces are as follows: Limpopo Province – 59% of the national production. Consequently, in South Africa avocados are often difficult to produce and the prices obtained are therefore usually high. READ Macadamia and avocado theft costs industry millions. Over 3,000 farmers are engaged in contract farming by Kakuzi since 2014; Wa Iria says Kenya has overtaken South Africa as leading producer of avocados in Africa 4 among current biggest exporters on the globe). The future of avocado farming. An annual rainfall exceeding 1 000 mm is desirable, and it should be well distributed, with the only dry period in June and July. The South African Avocado Growers Association (S AAGA) was formed in the late 1960's. Read more … RIPENING AND STORAGE Find out how to store your avocado and how to ripen it. Tests so far have shown higher packouts and exportability for trellised Maluma avocado trees, but there are still lessons to be learned. Demand also appeared to be trending upwards in the retail sector. The Avocado Harvest. In South Africa, nurseries supply new trees most of which are different cultivars grafted onto clonal rootstocks. Avocado production in South Africa is concentrated mainly in the subtropical areas of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and parts of KZN. In … Avocado Fruit Farming Guide: Avocado Fruit Farming. Despite having taken an initial knock in demand on international and local markets as a result of global trade and movement restriction to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, South Africa’s avocado growers are now seeing a steady, positive turnaround. It seems that growers and packhouses are carefully controlling supply so that there isn’t an oversupply that would put downward pressure on prices,” he said. A total volume of 86 128 tons of avocados were produced in South Africa during 2017/18 The volume was 10.82% higher than the 2016/17 volume of 86 128 tons. Recognised as the Avocado Experts, Westfalia Fruit is a multinational organisation with the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world. Christoff de Wet, RSA Market Agents’ head of subtropical fruit at Joburg Market, said local demand for avocados had been picking up since restaurants had been given permission to sell food for delivery. Environmental Effects of Avocado Farming. 8 REASONS TO LOVE AVOCADO And for the consumer, we have 8 reasons why eating avocados is both beneficial and healthy to eat. This is due to the impact of COVID-19, and also because our avocado production regions mostly had drier than normal summer weather, which resulted in smaller fruit,” Donkin explained. CURRENT STATE OF HASS AVOCADO FARMING IN AFRICAN KENYA AND AFRICA Hass Avocado could be a universal fruit that thrives in most climatic zone climes and therefore the temperate belt of the planet. This attracts many farmers into the avocado industry. And farmers are starting to see the impact. “We saw a noticeable drop in avocado prices in the first two weeks of lockdown, but then a recovery since then to more or less the same prices achieved this time last year. These fruits are commonly called as “Butter Fruits” in India. Africa Avocado Seasons; As with the rest of the globe, avocado seasons fall into the better chunk of the year. The mist-belt areas of South Africa are especially suitable in this regard. Mpumalanga Province – 3% of the national production. View all recipes…, In addition to their amazing texture, avocados deliver nutritional value.Read more…, This event happens every year. Avocado Farming, Process and Profit About Avocado Fruit Farming. Zambian avocado growers are negotiating with South African buyers to export Hass avocado to South Africa. Already, South Africa generates around R1.85billion a year from avocados, producing around 125000 tons and exporting more than half to Europe. This never-ending demand for avocado is fueling avocado prices, which drives more and more farmers to avocado farming for the profit, regardless of its effects on the environment. Avocado production has been unstable over the past ten years. South Africa is home to three of the 34 biodiversity ‘hotspots’ in the world and is the third most biodiverse country on the planet. INTRODUCTION Avocado production in South Africa has traditionally been concentrated in the warm subtropical areas of the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces in the North East of the country between latitudes 22 °S and 25 °S.