Avocado growers urged to pick pedigree plants amid high demand

Myanmar’s avocado has market potential in European countries, and so, Myanmar Avocado Producers and Exporters Association urged the growers to expand the cultivation with the pedigree plants only. A half tonne of Myanmar’s avocado produced by grafted avocado trees was sent to England on a trial basis and it gave good feedback. Now, Germany and Italy are also proposing to buy Myanmar avocado.

 

“We have agreed to export 30 tonnes as a preliminary event. We exported only a half tonne of avocado by air amid the COVID-19 crisis,” said U Kyaw Soe Min, joint secretary of the association. However, air freight forwarding is not profitable. Among Amara Variety (local variety), Hass and Buccaneer varieties, Buccaneer variety does not last longer than the other two. The foreign buyers prefer Hass and Amara varieties. They want the second batch of export. “This year, the grafted avocado tree season is going to end. The association is making an effort to export them in the post-coronavirus era. A tonne of avocado fetches US$3,500-$4,500 in the international market. The domestic demand is also high, and the price moves in the good range of K7,500 and 12,500 per kilo in the domestic market. It takes 21 days to ripe under normal room temperature while the avocado in cold storages is not ripe yet,” said U Kyaw Soe Min, joint secretary of the association.

 

Moreover, the foreign buyers have sent a purchase order for about 100-200 tonnes next year. Sea transport will last about 20 days, and Singapore cargo liner has proposed to ship them. Myanmar signed a G-to-G agreement with China for avocado export in April 2020. The Agriculture Department started to carry out pest inspection. The avocado will be exported to China through legal trade channel in 2021.

 

Myanmar Avocado Producers and Exporters Association has over 500 members. There are 25,000 acres of grafted avocado plantation in the country. Local varieties can be grown across the country, and about 20,000 tonnes are yearly produced. Moreover, they are demanded by Thailand, China, India, Singapore and Hong Kong (SAR). As a result of this, quality maintenance of avocado plays a vital role in expanding the market, the association stated. Myanmar has exported 50 tonnes to China beginning in 2010, and the export volume rose to 100,000 tonnes in 2018. Thailand purchases 80 per cent of avocado (local variety) production. Singapore also offered to buy them.

 

However, exporters still cannot meet the demand owing to low production. Thus, the increase in acreage is crucial for market expansion. The third Myanmar Avocado Festival was held in December 2019, including talk shows for growing methods and fruit competitions.—Thant Zin Win

 

(Translated by Ei Myat Mon)