Opportunities and Challenges of Fruits Industry Development in Ethiopia - from Subsistence to Specialized Commodity Commercialization: The Case of Avocado Fruit

Abstract

This paper explores the detail opportunities and challenges of avocado production system. Avocado fruits production has multiple opportunities and has recently production and use is rocketed up, involving many actors along the value chain in Ethiopia. Although the avocado has extreme opportunities, the industry development has multitude of challenges and bottle necks that hinder the development, use and commercialization. The details of how these subsistence productions systems would be shifted from meeting subsistence needs to satisfying the interest of national and global market requirements through avocado industry development and commodity commercialization are reviewed. Through enhancing opportunities and rectifying these challenges of avocado development through institutional frameworks, creating strong avocado industry development policy environment and policy system, it is possible to transform avocado production from subsistence to specialized commodity production in Ethiopia through commitment, good hierarchal governances and leadership up to down to Woreda and avocado cluster associations and member levels. In addition, creating multi-party development actors and forums along the avocado value chain, the desired commodity will get fit into the global markets. Through creating and promoting global competitor private avocado producers and processing companies in Ethiopia, the economic importance of avocado industry in Ethiopia’s economy is realized sooner or later.