The keynote speaker at this year’s World Avocado Congress NZ 2023 says the golden age is over and production growth needs to slow, with more investment in promotion.
Eric Imbert, an international researcher and agri-economics and food technologies engineer, is the lead researcher for CIRAD, the French agricultural research centre working for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions.
The World Avocado Congress, taking place in Auckland from April 2-5, will address the changing world of avocado production and consider how sustainable the global industry is across environment, people and economics.
“The golden age is over and the world avocado market is changing fast,” Imbert said
“Avocado is an incredible fruit; we have strong scientific evidence of its health benefits. The growth potential of the market remains very strong. However, production is developing too quickly now. It’s essential we deliver this message to all stakeholders of the world avocado industry, who are often small or medium-size growers.”
Imbert will update the congress on his research to include more data and information on Australasia and provide a vision as to how the world avocado market can continue to evolve in the mid-long term.
As part of his first visit to New Zealand, Imbert will visit the country’s primary avocado-growing regions, taking in two of the eight fielddays offered at the congress.
He also plans to meet with stakeholders right across the NZ value chain to hear their stories.
Imbert will produce a report, through his publication FruiTrop, on NZ’s avocado industry.
“A great part of the world production still comes from small to medium-size growers, and the industry plays an enormous social and economic role. It’s important to ‘protect the market’ working in two directions: reducing the plantation rhythm and also investing more in promotion to stimulate the great margin of growth that exists everywhere in the world,” Imbert said.
Imbert’s topic aligns well with the World Avocado Congress theme “Respectful; respect for people, respect for environment and respect for our future”, said Jen Scoular, CEO of NZ Avocado and president of the World Avocado Congress committee.
“The congress will challenge what we think we know. Our speakers will likely pose uncomfortable question and concepts. But, to ensure the sustainable growth of the global avocado industry, we must consider the phrase ‘growth occurs outside the comfort zone’ and all play our part in a vital conversation about the future of the avocado sector globally.
“The global landscape has vastly changed since the last World Avocado Congress was held in Colombia in 2019. We continue to navigate the challenges of a post-pandemic world. While these challenges have forced some uncomfortable questions, they have simultaneously created and encouraged a future ripe with opportunities when it comes the changing world of avocado production.”
Topics at the World Avocado Congress NZ 2023 include the future of food, sustainability, climate change, food trends, food security, water and carbon lifecycles for avocado production, research and practical on-orchard application of research to achieve high-yield, agritech innovation, global supply chains, grower returns, and the ongoing challenges of food supply, to name a few.
For more information about the World Avocado Congress, or to register to attend, visit wacnz2023.com
