AceBreakingNews – Australia’s obsession with the fruit once blamed for keeping young people out of the housing market is spreading internationally.

Ace Press News From Cutting Room Floor: Published: Jun.09: 2024: ABC Rural RoundUp News Report: Watch ABC TV’s Landline at 12:30pm on Sunday or on ABC iview. TELEGRAM Ace Daily News Link https://t.me/YouMeUs2 

From Melbourne to Mumbai, demand for avocados is growing in India, creating a million-dollar opportunity for Australian farmers and the economy.

Mumbai cafe owner Ritu Pagarani said Indians couldn’t get enough of consuming the exotic green fruit, rarely used in the country’s cuisine.

“They love it, all of them. Ever since we started, almost every other customer has ordered avocado toast,” Ms Pagarani said.

There’s nothing like too much avocado.

“We have an avocado toast, and avo salad, we also were doing an avo sandwich.”

Some grocery stores are charging $6 for the fruit being marketed to India as a super food and a premium product for the nation’s growing middle class.

But street vendors are also selling the famous Aussie brunch item for about $4.50, creating an opportunity for Indians to try avocado.

Aussie avo time

India already imports avocados from New Zealand, Tanzania, Chile, Peru and Kenya, and this year Australia has also entered the market.

Australia is aiming to beat its competition with high quality, lower shipping costs and a new free trade deal with India.

By 2028, India will phase out the 30 per cent tariff imposed on Australian fruit, to zero.

Nutritionist Kevita Devgan said the trade deal came at the right time with India’s increasing focus on eating healthy “post COVID”.

“India’s waiting literally for a product like this,” Ms Devgan said.

India’s population is 1.4 billion, with 11.4 per cent of people diagnosed with diabetes, which is double the prevalence of the disease in Australia.

“We do eat a lot of saturated fats and stuff that we should not be eating, so avocados is a perfect food,” she said.

“It’s a very alien food for Indians for sure. I think people will be far more receptive today about this fruit.”

Nine years ago, Ms Devgan was sent an avocado to try and she made cold soup out of it.

“I didn’t know what to do with it,” she said.

She said while it was mainly served at health restaurants and salad bars, in the future she could see avocado being used as a dairy replacement in traditional Indian foods.

More than curry

India’s growing avocado consumption is defying the stereotype of food consumption in India, helped along by companies including the Mexican chain California Burritos, which was started by an American in India in 2012.

Regional manager Rajneesh Ranjan said business growth and rising demand for guacamole led its founder to import 500 Hass avocado trees, with farmers contracted to produce a small amount of the locally grown fruit for his business.

“A lot of people the first time they try it they say, ‘wow, it tastes very nice’ so then it becomes habitual for them to have avocado in their meal,” Mr Ranjan said. 

Australia is the third-largest avocado consumer in the world, eating about 4.5 kilograms per person each year.

Cricket legend Brett Lee is part of an Australian avocado marketing campaign to boost Indian consumption.

“ It’s not hard to speak about something you love,” he said.

“I’ve been indulging in avocados for a very young 47 years and it’s been a massive staple part of my diet growing up.”

Why should Australians care?

Last financial year Australia produced more than 10,500 tonnes of avocados, worth more than $58 million, but the industry is dealing with an oversupply, causing the fruit to be dumped in the thousands.

Queensland avocado grower Daryl Boardman said exporting to India could help Australia’s avocado producers.

“We just need more markets to sell the increasing volume of avocados being grown in Australia,” Mr Boardman said.

We could maybe send 5 to 10 per cent, but, you know, if the market’s right, we’ll send as much there as we can.”

Last year, 10 trial deliveries of Australian Hass were sent to India to prove the quality of the offering and meet the country’s stringent biosecurity and food import requirements.

With those protocols finalised, and exporting growers accredited, commercial shipments were underway.

Avocado exporter Antony Allen said India could become Australia’s biggest avocado importer within three years, overtaking the current largest market, Hong Kong.

“It makes a big leap in terms of volume, in terms of the opportunity forward,” he said.

‘Green gold’

Indian avocado importer Avinash Bansode said his company called the fruit “green gold”.

“Just imagine the number of Indians. You know, every Indian eating a single avocado a day … We are busy for the 365 days,” he said.

“ Australian avocados will penetrate drastically into [the] Indian market.”

Austrade commissioner John Southwell was integral in helping avocados and other commodities onto Indian shelves under the free trade deal.

“Being able to see the Australian exporters go further and faster here is just incredibly rewarding,” he said.

“Just because I can go outside my door, turn left, and obtain an Australian avocado in a much smaller store. If I turn right, I can go to high-end retail and find Australian avocados there.”

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