According to a recent report, India is planning to import avocado from Brazil, and the move is likely to tame skyrocketing prices.
- Avocado fetches exorbitant prices of Rs 100 to Rs 2,000 a kg in India, depending on the variety. Imported avocados cost more than local ones.
- Import of avocado is allowed under OGL (open general licence).
- However, Brazil is one of the largest growers of avocado, and this will be a part of a larger agriculture deal that is in the works between the two countries.
- In India, the fruit is grown on a limited scale in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Sikkim.
- So far, Indian demand has mostly been met by imports from Tanzania, Australia, New Zealand, Peru and the US.
- Avocado is a rich source of antioxidants and monounsaturated fats.
- Introduced from Sri Lanka in the early twentieth century into India, avocado is not a commercial fruit crop in the country. By contrast, Brazil, the sixth-largest avocado producer globally, produced 338,000 tonnes in 2022.
- Mexico is the top avocado grower in the world.
- Avocado is a native of tropical America (Mexico).
