Avocado is a fruit adored by China’s new middle-class, most of whom are passionate about fitness and health.

With 15% oil content, avocado is rich in various unsaturated fatty acids, which can not only be eaten raw, but can also be processed into cooking oil and fat replacements.

The total import of avocados into China reached 32,100 tonnes in 2017, soaring a thousand times compared to 2011 and exceeding $10 million for the first time, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Photo via Xinhua News Agency

Almost all avocados sold in China’s markets were imported mainly from Chili, Mexico, and Peru until late 2016, which means that the domestic avocado industry is facing a prominent vacancy in a demanding market.

In response, Chinese businessmen and farmers have been promoting the localization of avocado. In southern China in places like Guangdong, Hainan, and Yunnan, avocado plantations are on the rise.

In addition to small-scale avocado farms, AVO Agriculture, a large-scale Chinese agricultural science-driven company that has cooperated with Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, is aiming to boost avocado consumption and enhance the value chain in the domestic avocado industry.

In the meantime, avocado is known for its large demand for water. One avocado requires four times that of an orange to grow, hence presenting a new challenge in irrigating the fashion fruit in China.