NAADS targets 5 million acres of Hass Avocado plantation in 5 years

By Ben Musanje

25^th March 2024

Government through the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) has indicated the need for more production of both Hass Avocado and the local avocado to satisfy the global market and the local oil processing industries.

According to NAADS, since the strategy began in August 2022, up to 620,000 seedlings of Hass Avocado have been distributed to farmers and almost 7000 acres of farmland for both individuals and government supported farmers have been established.

Khadijah Nakakande, the NAADS Public Relations Officer while leading the journalists to tour the Avolio Industries Limited, which is the first and biggest avocado oil processor in Uganda, noted that the demand for avocado has doubled locally and in Europe and Asia.

She says that their target is to have 5 million acres of Hass Avocado in the next 5 years in order to satisfy the market and also achieve their agenda of Uganda being the leading Hass Avocado grower in the continent.

Nakakande emphasizes that the country already has five factories including Avolio Industries Limited that buy second quality Hass avocado fruits to extract oil out if that is exported in a crude form to Europe and Asia.

Hasan Al- Kailani, the Managing Partner of Avolio Industries says that their machines can extract 160 metric tons of avocado fruits into crude oil daily with emphasis on Hass Avocado but they end up processing half of it with other 80 tones of locally processed avocado fruits.

He says that they buy 22 million kilograms of avocado from hundreds of thousands of farmers which earns Uganda around 4 million shilling every year.

Denis Nyanzi, a farmer and dealer of Hass Avocado fruits from Kalungu district testifies that he has earned a lot in exporting a truck of Hass Avocado to Avolio Industries located in Kazinga, Namanve industrial area, hence calling for fellow farmers to plant more avocado fruits for commercial purposes.

He however calls on the government to renovate and construct roads in remote areas to ease the supply of avocado from different districts to processing industries.

Hass avocado is estimated to account for over 80 percent of the global avocado market. Its demand was valued at USD 12.8 billion, in 2019 and is projected to rise to USD 17.90 billion by 2025.