Vietnam is seeking to export avocados to the U.S., the Southeast Asian country said on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to shut the U.S.-Mexico border raised fears American consumers could see a shortage.
The avocado, a tree with probable origin in South Central Mexico, is classified as a member of the flowering plant family Lauraceae.
The fruit of the plant, also called an avocado, is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed.
Avocado prices in the U.S. jumped by almost 50 per cent in April on fears that Trump would halt shipments from Mexico, which accounts for some 80 per cent of its supply.
Both processors and wholesalers began to stockpile the fruit as a result.
According to crop forecaster Gro Intelligence, the U.S. imported over 900,000 tonnes of Mexican avocados in 2018 worth almost 2.1 billion dollars, 10 times the value it buys from the rest of the world.
The government said on its website that avocados, typically used in guacamole or spread on toast, could be a high export earner for Vietnam.
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According to deputy head of the department of crop production, Vietnam’s Agriculture Ministry, Le Van Duc, avocado consumption is on the rise in Vietnam as living standards improve, fuelling interest amongst domestic buyers.
“Avocados are increasingly seen as a quality fruit that can be used in cooking and beauty products for women.
“The area of avocado plantation in Vietnam is rising due to that higher demand,” Duc told Reuters by phone.
According to Duc’s department, that trend has also been driven by weak coffee prices, which have prompted Vietnamese farmers to switch to other crops, including avocados.
Coffee prices hit their lowest in six years this month on fresh concerns over the U.S.-China trade war and strong sales from Brazil.
Vietnam already exports a small volume of avocados to the European Union, however has not yet managed to enter the U.S. market, which is dominated by Mexican supply.
Duc said it was too early to tell if Vietnam’s drive to export avocados to the U.S. will be successful.
“There will be lengthy negotiations, and more calculations are needed regarding the possible production scale and the quality to compete with other producing countries,” Duc said. (NAN)
