By Delisa Thwala
Today, the National Agriculture Marketing Board (NAMBoard) hosts an avocado Value Chain Market facilitation workshop at Tum’s George Hotel.
NAMBoard Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bhekizwe Maziya on Eswatini Broadcasting Services (EBIS) said today aims to bring together farmers, traders, retailers, and any other stakeholder to identify varieties and volume of avocados.
“While avocados have become a beloved food item, their environmental impact is a growing concern.
The main environmental issues of avocado production include water usage, carbon footprint, and soil degradation,” said Maziya.
He mentioned that the all-day workshop also aims to lay a foundation for all farmers who wish to embark on avocado farming.
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Maziya said avocados are grown on trees using natural regenerative practices.
He said these practices support the following actions that help make avocados a healthy, sustainably grown choice for everyone and their family.
In May 2024, NAMBoard, through its social media platforms, called upon avocado farmers to register their existence. This registration exercise closed on June 14, 2024, with over 20 registered farmers.
According to the Food Empowerment Project, Unfortunately, avocados might not be as green as they seem, at least from an environmental standpoint.
The report stated that avocados are an incredibly thirsty crop, for instance, and as demand for this superfood grows, its production has led to deforestation and biodiversity loss.
“Furthermore, as we have seen with other foods, such as bananas and chocolate, there are additional issues to consider before tucking into your favorite avocado dish,” read the report.
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Meanwhile, according to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (DAFF), the gross value of avocados produced in 2022/2023 was about R1.42 billion. It has been on an upward trend since 2009, at R170 million.
Avocado growers in South Africa comprise well-established commercial farmers and emerging smallholder farmers. Avocado farmers are mainly found in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.
Majority of the smallholder farmers own between one and two hectares.
Many avocado farms in South Africa have standard density planting. The spacing from one tree to another and from one row to another is 5m by 5m.
This means 300-400 trees can be planted on one hectare in South Africa.
