Indian growers race to close widening gap between avocado demand and supply

Since a Bollywood star highlighted avocado skincare in 2011, Indian demand has exploded, leaving a gap of roughly 15,000 tonnes of imports against 8,000-9,000 tonnes of domestic output. Veteran plantation manager Sunil Bopaiah shifted his Wayanad estate from shade trees to dedicated avocado blocks, harvesting 10-15 tonnes last year and targeting 40-50 tonnes within a few years. The shift includes adopting South African-inspired practices like raised beds and disease-resistant spacing.

Nurseries such as Indo-Israel Avocado Nursery, founded by Harshit Godha after training in Israel, now provide grafted Hass and Pinkerton saplings, while IIHR scientist Ganeshan Karunakaran pushes for standardized Indian varieties to improve market reliability. Culinary leaders acknowledge imported avocados still dominate quality metrics, yet they welcome the growing local supply as it matures.