Southern Kwazulu-Natal: Set For A Boom In Avo Production

South Africas avocado industry is soaring on the back of national and international demand. It aims to capitalise further on this by substantially increasing southern KwaZulu-Natals avocado production. Lloyd Phillips spoke to Athol Currie of The Fruit Farm Group South Africa.

- Lloyd Phillips

Statistics provided by the South African Avocado Growers’ Association reveal that this sector currently consists of 17 500ha of commercial avocado (Persea americana) orchards that collectively produce an average of 118 000t of fresh fruit, valued at over R1 billion, annually.

Approximately 60% of this is exported to Europe and the UK, 30% is consumed locally, and 10% is processed into avocado purée or oil.

Historically, South Africa’s avocado production has been limited to the subtropical parts of Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal, which experience warm temperatures and above-average rainfall. However, the development of avocado varieties and rootstocks tolerant of more temperate conditions have opened up new areas for avocado production, particularly in southern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).

To encourage avocado production, The Fruit Farm Group South Africa (TFFG SA) has recently substantially expanded and upgraded its avocado packhouse, known as Katopé Natal, in the Richmond area.

THE AIM: YEAR-ROUND AVOCADO SUPPLY

Athol Currie, general manager of TFFG SA’s Subtropical Farming Operations division, says that South Africa’s international and domestic clients are looking for a consistent 12-month supply of ripe-and-ready avocados from the industry.

“The closer to the equator our avocado production areas are, the earlier farmers have to harvest each year. In Limpopo’s Levubu area, harvesting starts in late February and ends around April,” he explains.

In contrast, southern KZN’s avocado harvesting season starts in mid-June and ends in November. This makes southern KZN ideally placed to extend South Africa’s avocado supply when production in the country’s north-east has begun tapering off.