South Africa: New Markets Critical for the Growing South African Avocado Industry

The production of avocados in South Africa is estimated to decrease by 25 percent to 127,000 Metric Tons (MT) in the 2018/19 Marketing Year (MY), due to the fall in yields, premature fruit drop, and the cyclical on-year and off-year nature of avocado production. South African avocado production has experienced exceptional growth in the past four decades, from 1,500 MT in the 1969/70 MY, to the peak production of 169,243 MT in the 2017/18 MY, primarily due to export demand. Due to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Europe remains the principal market for South African avocado exports, accounting for 96 percent of the total exports. South Africa is under increasing pressure to acquire new markets for its avocados, which currently explains efforts to gain market access in the United States, Japan, India and China. Doing so will help diversify exports from Europe, and to absorb the anticipated future increases in production.

South Africa: New Markets Critical for the Growing South African Avocado Industry