The avocado landscape of today is vastly different from that of a century ago. Avocado trees in Tanzania were grown for timber, firewood, food and the leaves were for feeding animals. There was no commercial avocado industry in Tanzania until a decade ago.
Today, more and more people around the world are eating avocados like never before. It is simply because avocados are one food that fits into most eating plans whether for weight loss or general health. The avocado is flavorful, nutritious and versatile making it easy to go with any meal or just eating it plain as many Tanzanians do.
Avocado Varieties Grown in Tanzania
The Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) says there are more than 15 varieties of avocado grown in Tanzania. Avocado farmers in Tanzania select what variety to grow based on:
- The marketability of the type of avocado
- The resilience of the fruit to transportation and logistics
According to TARI, some of these avocado varieties are:
- Hass
- Fuerte
- Booth 7
- Puebla
- Pinkerton
- Uyole line
- X-ikulu
- Simmonds
- Ettinger
- Zutano
- Weisal
- Nabal
The commercial varieties for export are Hass and Fuerte. But they are also sold in small quantities in the domestic markets. The local avocado cultivars are only sold in domestic markets due to their short shelf life when ripe.
Here are the differences between some of the avocado varieties grown in Tanzania:
Hass Avocado
- It is the most popular variety available
- The skin turns from green to purplish-black when ripe
- It has a pebbly skin
- It is oval in shape
- It has a small to medium size seed
- It is a medium size to large fruit
Fuerte Avocado
- The skin is smooth and glossy
- Its skin remains green even when ripe (the green-skin variety)
- It is pear-shaped
- It has a medium size seed
- It is a medium to large fruit
Zutano Avocado
- It has a shiny, yellow-green skin
- It is pear-shaped
- It has a medium size seed
- It is a medium to large fruit
Pinkerton Avocado
- It is long, pear-shaped
- Its skin has slight pebbling
- It has a small seed
- It is a large fruit
Avocado Propagation
Avocados can be propagated by planting seeds, rooting avocado cuttings, layering and grafting. The common method of avocado propagation in Tanzania is by grafting. Due to the high diversity of avocado trees in Tanzania, researchers from TARI and breeders are developing new and improved cultivars.
Grafting involves connecting the branch of an avocado cultivar with the rootstock another avocado variety. As the two grow together, a new tree is formed. Most commercial avocado production in Tanzania is from grafted avocado trees. Grafting avocado trees is done so as to harvest a large crop of top quality fruit.
Here is the process of grafting avocado trees:
- Grafting is joining two plants together. The upper portion is known as the scion which is attached to the lower portion known as the rootstock.
- Make a vertical split at the center of the rootstock then insert one or two branches (scions) with two or three buds into the cambium layer of the rootstock.
- Wrap the budded graft with a nylon, securing it above and below and not on the bud.
- When the bud unions heal, remove the nylon and the buds begin to open. This should be done within three to four weeks.
- As these new branches grow and mature, they are ready to bear avocado fruits.
Different types of avocado can thrive in many parts of Tanzania and in turn free Tanzanians from abject poverty and improve families’ levels of nutrition. Farmers can continue harvesting avocados from the trees for 40-50 years.