Avocado Boom in India: From “Dog Fruit” to a Growing Farm Business

Sunil Bopaiah, who has worked in India’s plantation industry for 26 years and is currently group manager at Cottanad Plantations, says the shift has been dramatic. Cottanad Plantations grows cocoa, rubber, coffee, spices and fruits, including avocado, in the hills of Wayanad in the southern Indian state of Kerala.

“We never planted avocado as our main crop. We introduced it as a shade tree for coffee plantations, and only later realised it could become a profitable business,” Bopaiah says.

He identifies around 2011 as a turning point, when Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty said she used avocado for skincare.

“Overnight, prices doubled and then kept rising,” he says.

Cottanad responded by planting avocado trees on 40 acres. Last year, the plantation harvested between 10 and 15 tonnes of fruit. In three or four years’ time, it hopes to increase production to 40 to 50 tonnes.

The company also had to change its cultivation methods after gaining experience from South African experts.

“We completely changed the way we grow avocados after learning from South African experts. Today we use raised beds, wider spacing and different planting methods because avocado roots are highly vulnerable to diseases,” Bopaiah says.

There is significant scope for Indian farmers to increase avocado production, according to Manilal Palliyath, who helps promote India’s avocado industry.

“When we studied the market, we found a huge gap between demand and supply. India imports around 15,000 tonnes of avocados every year, while domestic production is only about 8,000–9,000 tonnes,” Palliyath says.

He sees an opportunity for farmers, particularly as traditional crops have faced difficulties.

“Coffee and pepper have suffered because of changing climatic conditions, making diversification essential for farmers,” he says.

However, rising demand in India does not always translate into demand for locally grown avocados.

“Indian-grown avocados are improving and there are some great farmers working with local varieties, but the quality and availability can vary significantly depending on the season and region,” says Hussain Shahzad, the executive chef at Hunger Inc. Hospitality.

The group owns four restaurants in Mumbai, including Veronica’s and The Bombay Canteen.

“We have explored different varieties of avocados available in India, but the imported ones currently offer the consistency we need in terms of flavour, texture, size, and ripening,” Shahzad says.

Like many in the catering industry, however, he wants to source ingredients locally.

“We are always interested in exploring better local produce as it evolves. Supporting Indian agriculture and working with indigenous ingredients is central to how we approach food,” he says.

Avocado cultivation also presents a botanical challenge because an avocado tree cannot easily pollinate itself. To produce fruit, two different avocado varieties have to be planted right next to each other. One variety needs to be open as a female at exactly the same time that the other variety is releasing pollen as a male.

“If a farmer gets this planting ratio wrong, the trees will fail to produce fruit, no matter how advanced the irrigation tech is. This single botanical detail is what separates a highly profitable, high-yielding orchard from one that looks great on paper but fails in reality,” says Godha.

Using popular foreign varieties is one way of modernising India’s avocado industry. Another is improving trees that have existed in India for generations.

“The biggest issue with the avocado trees in India are that every backyard tree is genetically different,” says Dr Ganeshan Karunakaran, the principal scientist at the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru.

“That is why Indian markets are flooded with mixed fruit of varying quality. Standard varieties are essential if we want a reliable commercial market,” he says.

Karunakaran has worked on a breeding project for 25 years that has released two varieties based on local trees.

“Our objective is to provide farmers with uniform, high-yielding, good-quality planting material rather than thousands of different unnamed trees,” Karunakaran says.

He is also concerned about unregulated nurseries selling unidentified or diseased plants.

“Farmers may unknowingly buy diseased plants. The trees may look healthy initially, but after five or seven years they can suddenly die, causing huge financial losses,” he says.

Despite these challenges, farmers see potential in switching to avocado cultivation.

Shiju Sebastian was an early adopter. Eight years ago, he dedicated two acres of his farm in Wayanad, Kerala, to the crop.

“Farmers are willing to grow avocados, but they need proper guidance and assured markets,” he says.

This year, he is harvesting 3,500kg of fruit, all of which is sold in the city of Bengalaru.

“Avocado will never fail you. It’s such a loving and lovable fruit. I have fallen in love with this fruit now. I’m planning to plant another three acres — only avocado,” Sebastian says.

The experiences of plantations and farmers such as Cottanad and Sebastian reflect the growing potential of avocado cultivation in India, while the industry continues to address production gaps, disease risks, inconsistent varieties, pollination requirements and the need for assured markets.