Hass Avocado
Overview
Avocado (Persea americana) is a tree, long thought to have originated in South Central Mexico. The fruit of the plant, also called an avocado (or avocado pear or alligator pear), is botanically a large berry containing a single large seed known as a "pit" or a "stone".
Avocados like most nutritious fruits are commercially valuable and are cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world. The optimum soil pH for avocado is between 6.2 and 6.5 lime.
In Tanzania, Avocado production is increasingly gaining popularity with new farms opening up in many parts of the country. Regions such as Njombe, Iringa, Geita, and even Kagera have recorded increases in planted areas with the high yielding; export market-oriented variety – Hass and Fuerte. Other regions where Avocado is grown are Arusha, Morogoro, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Songwe, and Ruvuma. There is a huge demand for avocados in the World market making the product a potentially significant contributor to foreign exchange earnings and government revenue if harnessed well. Apart from increased export volume, there is also an appetite for investment in the value addition for Avocado.