The avocado has been trendy in Germany for years. This is shown by new figures from the Federal Statistical Office. But the success of the superfruit also has its downsides.
The avocado is very popular in Germany. Last year, around 157,800 tons were imported into Germany, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Tuesday. This means that the import volume has increased more than fivefold within ten years. At the same time, the value of imported fruit rose from 68.3 million euros in 2013 to 484 million euros.
Because the avocado needs a warm climate, it often travels thousands of kilometers before it ends up in consumers' shopping baskets in German supermarkets. The most important country of origin last year was Peru (49,200 tons), followed by Colombia (15,800) and Chile (14,500). This means that half of the fruits came from these South American countries.
Environmentalists point out the consequences of the global avocado boom for the environment. These include the clearing of forests to make room for plantations and high water consumption.
