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Business Reporter

THE national trade development and export promotion agency, ZimTrade says the country should take advantage of its favourable climate to grow organic avocadoes and increase exports of the crop to the European Union.

According to an online farmers’ magazine, Farmers’ Voices, ZimTrade has urged local avocado growers to take advantage of the duty-free market access under the interim Economic Partnership Agreement ratified under the eastern and southern African countries and the European Union.” 

“The European market is expected to grow further in the coming years and will remain competitive since importers prefer larger producers because of supply certainty. 

“Global supply of avocados is highest from February to September, when prices are lower than during the rest of the year,” said the agency.

The global supply of avocados almost doubled in the period 2014 to 2018 from US$3,4 billion to US$6,1 billion. 

Mexico is the major supplier of avocados and the most lucrative opportunities are in large markets such as France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom, which are often supplied via The Netherlands. According to Eurostat, the Farmers’ Voices said last year Zimbabwe exported avocados worth US$5,7 million to the EU, with 53 percent of the total exports destined for The Netherlands. 

“In periods of low global supplies, especially in October and November, prices of small volumes of ready-to-eat avocados tend to increase their prices to approximately US$15 per 4kg box.”