'Avocado town' ripens prospects for tourism, agricultural success

Transforming Menglian

Seventeen years ago, Qi Jiachu planted the first avocado seed in Menglian. Today, Menglian has transformed into the Avocado Town of China, producing about 80 percent of the country's avocados and replacing 15 percent of imported ones.

According to data from Chinese Customs, in 2023, China imported over 65,626 metric tons of avocados worth around $151 million from nine countries, including Peru, Chile, Kenya and Mexico. The top three provincial-level regions for avocado imports were Shanghai, Guangdong and Zhejiang.

The avocado industry in Menglian now supports 11,000 households and 35,000 people, more than a quarter of the county's population. Its avocado plantations cover 118,900 mu, which yield 19,500 tons of the fruit and generate around 680 million yuan in revenue last year.

Compared with imported avocados, domestic ones have an advantage due to their higher dry matter percentage, Qi said. As the dry matter percentage in an avocado increases, so does its oil content. More oil content results in a richer flavor.

As China's largest domestic avocado production area, Menglian is striving to set the industry bench mark for domestic avocados. "Menglian Avocado" has been successfully registered as a National Geographic Indication Certification Trademark.

"Imported avocados are picked at 50 to 60 percent ripeness to endure the long journey from the Americas to China, which takes about a month," said Qi.

"By the time they reach consumers, they have been collected from trees by 50 days to two months.

In contrast, domestic avocados in Menglian are often picked at 80 to 90 percent ripeness or fully ripe. This results in a higher dry matter content, usually exceeding 25 percent. This tree-ripened quality gives domestic avocados a significant advantage in the market."