What is Hass Avocado?
Hass avocado is a tropical plant known for its nutritious value, weighing 200 to 300 grams (8 to 10 oz). It is a variety of avocados known for its shelf life and ability to withstand gentle pressure. When ripe it is dark purplish-black with a savory creamy taste, high in oil-producing ability.
Hass Avocado Benefits
Avocados have tons of health and economic benefits. It contains lots of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and oils that aid in healthy lifestyles, weight loss, heart health, and overall well-being. No wonder it’s been increasingly termed the green gold that doubles as a superfood. Did you know that Hass Avocado is an essential cash crop, providing a much-needed source of revenue for smallholder farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa; while greening lots of degraded farmlands? Farmers in Nigeria have not been left out in embracing Hass avocado farming.
Hass Avocado in Nigeria
Avocado farming has continued to gain popularity post-COVID-19 and the increasing need to eat and live healthily. Nigeria with a population of over 250 million with over 50% of her population being rural farmers.
The global market size value for avocados in 2023 is USD 15.83 billion. Hass avocado has a high value chain with the oil ranking highest with increasing cosmetics demands. This presents a huge economic opportunity for a farmer growing Hass avocado in Nigeria or looking to venture into Hass avocado farming. Nigerian tropical weather is a perfect environment to grow Hass avocados with enormous underground water to sustain an all-year-round production of avocado fruits. We have available grafted Hass avocado trees to begin this journey for farmers. With good agronomic practice farmers are guaranteed crops will fruit within 2-3 years.
What Varieties to Consider in Farming
The most sought-after avocado variety is the Hass Avocado. This is largely because of its firm, creamy oil rich and most importantly longer shelf life. Consumers prefer fruits that won’t go bad easily as such Hass avocado fruits lifespan can last 2 to 3 weeks if properly stored. Other varieties such as Fuerte, Bacon, Zutano, and Stewart are equally famous. Fuerte used to be the king of the market, today, the extraordinary qualities of Hass have clearly rivaled it.
Hass Avocado a Partner in Land Restoration
Years of unsustainable agricultural practice are slowly turning a large proportion of arable land into unproductive lands. With the rising cost of farm inputs, cultivating staple grains is increasingly becoming more challenging. In an attempt to meet growing family needs, most rural dwellers are turning to deforestation. The growing global avocado market which is valued at over $15 billion and growing; provides an opportunity to change this narrative. Farmers are encouraged to intercrop Hass avocado trees in their crop fields as an additional source of income. Beehives are incorporated underneath the canopies to aid pollination and fruiting. Such farmers are reaping big from extra incomes from Hass avocado sales, honey, and wood fuel from pruned trees; which is an immense supplement to their conventional staple crops. Beneath the soil, these fruit trees are regreening the landscapes: fallen leaves feed livestock, retain moisture, decompose to enrich the soil, cool the environment, and overall create a more stable environment.
The Ecofarms Hass Avocado Project.
The Ecofarms and Agroservices Hass Avocado Value Chain project attempts to promote the adaptation of agroforestry systems in Nigeria. This is aimed at integrating high-value cash crops with economic trees as a way to address growing ecosystem destabilization; while improving food and economic security.
To achieve this, Ecofarms has developed a certified Hass and Fuerte avocado nursery with avocado grafts available for sale in Nigeria. Get FREE the complete Avocado Farming in Nigeria pdf a guide to hass avocado tree management and production, and access to in-person training. These materials are designed to help you understand all you need to know about avocado production and value addition. In turn, we provide the necessary infrastructure to offtake fruits from you and process them for the ever-ready market.
