When the World Avocado Congress wrapped up in Auckland, New Zealand, South Africa was announced as the location for the next event, which will begin in 2027.

It was held over three days. local hosts hosted around 1200 participants, with representatives from 33 countries bringing together key participants from the local avocado sector. The event has brought the largest international contingent to a garden event in the shores of New Zealand. The closing event on the agenda was a gala meal as well as a Mexican wave to mark the conclusion of a hugely prosperous international meeting of the avocado industry.

To access the complete photo report visit this link.

The Hosts New Zealand has set some ambitious goals for the consumers in New Zealand, including nearly double the intake of avocados per year , to 40. Presently, Mexico leads the world with its consumption of forty avocados (or 10kgs) each year per person and many other nations average around 28 avocados per person. The president of the World Avocado Congress Committee and the CEO of New Zealand Avocado, Jen Scoular states that the viability of New Zealand’s local avocado market depends on New Kiwis having a greater consumption of avocados.

“While forty years of eating 40 per year might seem like a daunting target, it’s actually not that difficult,” she said. “In reality, a significant portion of New Zealand population is already taking in an astounding 16 avocados every month. This is fantastic news especially for New Zealand growers because we do not import avocados. We cultivate enough in New Zealand to feed everyone, which means that every avocado you consume in Aotearoa helps our local economic development. The discussion was very productive among the various countries that were represented at the Congress regarding the need to increase demand in the domestic market as well as increase the demand within our own nations. We are aware that 60% of the avocados that are grown by the people of New Zealand are eaten by only five percent of our population. So, there’s a huge opportunity for growth in this area, and we are definitely not at the peak yet.”

The CEO of the Association of Avocado Exporting Producers and Packers of Mexico (APEAM), Armando Lopez says the growers and industry representatives that attended this Congress from Mexico are thrilled they were able to be able to travel to this event.

“Especially considering the huge efforts that this New Zealand team has put into the effort, considering that the recent pandemic issues have been a major concern for the past four years. This is the moment when the world avocado industry will unite to set the stage with the goals of sustainable development and high quality, as well as marketing the the health benefits that our avocados offer to consumers,” Mr Lopez said.