Top avocado producing countries
The avocado fruit belongs to the genus Persea in the Lauraceae family. The tree is typically cultivated in Central Mexico. In 2020, Mexico accounted for the highest share in global production of avocados with a production volume amounting to just under 2.4 million tons. Colombia and the Dominican Republic were also ranked among the major avocado producing countries with production volumes of about 877 thousand and 676 thousand tons respectively in 2020. In the same year, Israel was listed as the tenth leading avocado producing country with a production volume of about 187 thousand tons.Avocado retail
Even though the fruit was introduced to the consumer market some time ago, it has recently become incredibly popular among Americans. The retail sales of avocados in the United States amounted to 2.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, but decreased to just under two billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Avocado was previously one of the leading product categories in the fresh department of the United States, but has recently seen a drop in sales, with negative growth of about 1.7 percent.Consumer perception
The consumption of avocados in the United States amounted to about three billion pounds in 2021. That same year, 93 percent of Hispanic households in the U.S. reported purchasing avocados that year, compared to only about 70 percent of the total population. A recent survey regarding the driving factors for buying avocados in the U.S. revealed that about 76 percent of consumers believe that avocados are healthy, and some 72 percent of respondents think that the fruit has good fats. Not all consumers, however, are convinced to add it to their shopping basket. About 62 percent of respondents cited "too perishable" as a main barrier for buying avocados, while around 73 percent considered avocadoes to be frequently "too expensive" to buy.
