Avocado , Persea americana, Abacate

Avocado is a tall  (up to 20m)  tropical tree, native to Mexico. An adult tree brings up to 1000-1200 avocados per year, one of the highest nutrition-wise yields among all trees.  Oldest evidence of usage  dates  to about 10 000 BC. Today 68 countries are producing avocados commercially. It is produced as far North as Bosnia in former Yugoslavia.
Biggest producer both by volume and per capita is Mexico, with 1 124 565 tons in 2008. About 10 kg of avocados produced per each Mexican yearly, enough to make about 10 ounces of guacamole every other week or so.

3 585 156 + tonnes were produced in 2009, leaving a potential consumer with  520 g of avocados to consume. Assuming 70% average edibility , and that avocado flesh  has 160 calories per 100 gr ,   5 500 513 people , or entire population of Denmark, could be fed  with the world crop at 2000 calories a day.

avocado seedling

438 325 hectares were used for production  of avocados in 2009, a territory similar to Cape Verde and Grenada combined.
In 2009, the average price of U.S. avocados declined to $1,290 per ton, a decrease of $560 per ton from the previous year. World crop is about $5-6 billion worth.


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Common nicknames : midshipman's butter , alligator pear ( my favorite ), vegetable butter
French : avocatier
Portuguese: abacate
Spanish : ahuacate, aguacate, ahuacati , palta
Zapateco : palta     Mixteco : tichi         Totonaco : kukata
Lacandon : on        Nahuatl : ahuacatli     Otomi : ts'ani
Maya : oon yixo     P'hurembe : kupanda
Mazahua : sonu      Tarahumara : bajichi

Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian : Авокадо

아보카도  Apokat

  אבוקדו

Production of avocado by country,

	item	2007		2008		2009
Argentina	Avocados	3600		3600	F	3600	F
Australia	Avocados	47238		47238	F	38478
Barbados	Avocados	580		600	F	600	F
Bolivia (Plurinational State of)	Avocados	3242		3242	F		M
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Avocados	1000		1000	F		M
Brazil	Avocados	154096		147214			M
Cameroon	Avocados	55000		55000	F	55000	F
Cayman Islands	Avocados	15		15	F	15	F
Central African Republic	Avocados	4600		4700	F	4800	F
Chile	Avocados	250000	F	250000	F		M
China	Avocados	92000	*	95000	F	100000	F
Colombia	Avocados	193996		183968		165175
Congo	Avocados	6500	F	6600	F		M
Cook Islands	Avocados	25	F	25	F		M
Costa Rica	Avocados	25000	F	25000	F		M
Côte d'Ivoire	Avocados	26815		26815	F		M
Cuba	Avocados	3500	F	3500	F		M
Cyprus	Avocados	1114		960		1150
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Avocados	64340		65220			M
Dominica	Avocados	650	F	650	F		M
Dominican Republic	Avocados	183468		187398			M
Ecuador	Avocados	28500	F	28500	F		M
El Salvador	Avocados	1958		2135		2182
Ethiopia	Avocados	55000	F	42849		32452	*
France	Avocados	31		14	F	15	F
French Guiana	Avocados	250	F	250	F		M
French Polynesia	Avocados	70		70	F		M
Ghana	Avocados	7900	F	7900	F		M
Greece	Avocados	1538		1600		1600	F
Grenada	Avocados	1600		1600	F		M
Guadeloupe	Avocados	280		280	F		M
Guam	Avocados		M		M		M
Guatemala	Avocados	96525		96525	F		M
Guyana	Avocados	500	F	500	F		M
Haiti	Avocados	58000		58000	F		M
Honduras	Avocados	1638		1650	F	1700	F
Indonesia	Avocados	201635		225180		257868
Israel	Avocados	85913		53130		68578
Jamaica	Avocados	4000	F	4000	F		M
Kenya	Avocados	93639		93639	F		M
Lebanon	Avocados	6000		6000	F		M
Madagascar	Avocados	25000		25000	F		M
Martinique	Avocados	360		360	F		M
Mexico	Avocados	1142892		1124565			M
Morocco	Avocados	16896		19253			M
New Zealand	Avocados	20000		20000	F		M
Occupied Palestinian Territory	Avocados	377		344			M
Panama	Avocados	3914		4010			M
Paraguay	Avocados	13500		13500	F	14000	F
Peru	Avocados	121720		136303		155982
Philippines	Avocados	24975		24180		25000	F
Portugal	Avocados	16000		16000	F		M
Puerto Rico	Avocados	1900		1900	F		M
Réunion	Avocados	180		180	F		M
Rwanda	Avocados	70000		79291		80000	F
Saint Lucia	Avocados	284		458			M
Samoa	Avocados	1150		1150	F		M
Seychelles	Avocados	15		15	F		M
South Africa	Avocados	65203		83534		75932
Spain	Avocados	82116		82116	F		M
Swaziland	Avocados	650	F	650	F		M
Timor-Leste	Avocados	370		370	F		M
Trinidad and Tobago	Avocados	460		460	F		M
Tunisia	Avocados	230	F	230	F		M
Turkey	Avocados	931		958		1169
United States of America	Avocados	193100		116000			M
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	Avocados	83304		71771			M
Zimbabwe	Avocados	1100	F	1100	F		M
World + (Total)	Avocados	3648383	A	3555265	A	3585156	A