Avocado is healthy and nutritious and recommended by medics as a rich source of vitamins, sugar, and nutrition for diabetics and those who suffer from malnutrition. High nutrient value of this fruit has driven people to add it to their food basket.
Fortunately, avocado is cultivated in Iran in Khuzestan and Fars provinces. Agricultural officials expect mass-production of avocado in the near future, IANA reported.
Cultivation of avocado started 10 years ago, when its seeds were imported from France and America. In future, it will be domestically produced.
Some farmers from southern regions have come to Mazandaran Province to culture the avocado cultivar, by producing it from a natural species and preserving the crop through cultivation.
Avocado is a tropical fruit and can be grown in southern provinces. During recent years, about 10,000 to 20,000 avocado plants have been distributed throughout the tropical areas. Regarding the fact that the plant has a long gestation period, after 10 years of planting, orchardists can expect a big harvest.
The fruit is a rich source of iron, copper, sodium, potassium, fat and calorie, and is largely recommended for children, and skincare. Due to its low starch, it balances blood sugar, so it is useful for diabetic patients and athletes.
Costly Fruit
Orchardists claim that due to the cold weather last autumn the trees were frostbitten which reduced the quantity of fruit. Low production combined with high demand on the part of consumers, sent the prices rocketing with each avocado sold for $37 in the previous year.
The normal price for the fruit at source is $2.5 to $3 but the price is very high in the markets of metropolises such as Tehran, Isfahan and Tabriz.
