• Ethiopia plans to increase avocado cultivation from 30,000 to 150,000 hectares within five years.

• The government uses the Green Legacy Initiative to produce and distribute 1.8 million high-yield avocado seedlings in 2025.

• Avocado exports currently contribute modestly, but the government aims to boost foreign currency earnings and horticultural export revenues.

Ethiopia is shifting its horticultural priorities from flowers to fruits like avocados in a bid to grow exports.

The government plans to expand avocado cultivation to 150,000 hectares by 2030—five times more than the current area. On July 20, Ashenafi Kinfu, Deputy Director of the Regional Agriculture Bureau, told the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA) that the move aims to boost avocado output significantly.

To reach this goal, authorities are ramping up the propagation and distribution of high-yield avocado seedlings through the Green Legacy Initiative. This key government program, which promotes food self-sufficiency, targets the planting of 7.5 billion trees in 2025 alone.

According to Kinfu, federal and regional institutions are working together to provide high-quality seedlings, upskill farmers, and expand market access. So far this year, the Green Legacy Initiative has produced 1.8 million avocado seedlings to support the campaign.

Export Gains Within Reach

Ethiopia plans to expand avocado production to fuel its export ambitions. “Avocado has strong potential to boost Ethiopia’s foreign currency earnings and improve food security. It has become a priority within the government’s horticulture initiative,” said Kinfu.

The country currently cultivates 30,000 hectares of avocados, yielding 167,556 tonnes in 2023, according to the FAO. While no formal export target has been set, officials aim to increase avocado’s share in horticultural export revenues.

Between 2019 and 2023, Ethiopia exported an average of 3,475 tonnes of avocados each year, generating about $1.1 million annually—a modest contribution to the sector.

In contrast, the broader horticulture industry earned $565 million from 286,000 tonnes of exports in the 2024/2025 fiscal year. The Ministry of Agriculture plans to raise that by 30% to reach $734 million in 2025/2026.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum