An ode to their buttery deliciousness, avocadoes are called ghiufal in Nepali. Its taste and nutritional values that can replace the need for meat for vegetarians and vegans has given avocado a special place in the fruit world.

Avocados & Health Benefits

Prabin Acharya, a food technologist, says avocados have acted as flavorful rescuers for people who care about their health. “Almost all fruits do not have fat in them, but avocados contain good fat. So, people who are health conscious but don’t prefer meat or eggs for their protein, fat, and carb intake go for avocados,” he says.

Acharya adds, “Avocados are really a miracle fruit for healthy balanced diet and energy gain. The fruit has virtually replaced butter and jam for bread spreads.”

Avocados have higher levels of potassium and negligible amount of sugar as compared to bananas, so they’re perfect for gut health. Multiple studies have also linked regular avocado consumption with weight loss or management.

Avocados Farming in Nepal.

Most avocados in Nepal are commercially produced at organic farms in mid-hilly regions such as Dhankuta and Illam. “Avocados grow better in tropical areas that witness more rainfall, so mid-hilly areas in eastern Nepal would be the best places for avocado farming. The taste and texture of avocados depend on the region they’re from. For instance, Florida-grown avocados are lower in fat and firmer, while Hass avocados, from Mexico, are perfect for mashing and whipping, so it’s important to understand its growth and consumption potential,” he says.

Avocado trees are well known for its low demand of nutrients. This is demonstrated by the low total content of nutrients in the crop as compared with other fruit trees and field crops. This is the main reason avocado can be preferred to grow organically very comfortably.

Organic Take

Govinda Shrestha, Manager at the Baluwatar-based Avocado Café, a restaurant that specializes in avocado dishes, says mostly diplomats and adults visit the café for health reasons. “I have been working in the hospitality business around Thamel area for over a decade now and what I’ve noticed is that most foreigners crave organic avocados during their stay in Nepal. The concept of weekly farmers’ markets helped in promoting the production and sales of avocados. Farmers’ markets made organic avocados easily accessible in Nepal.”

The Orchid Resort in Hetauda is known as a pioneer for avocado restaurants in Nepal, as per Shrestha. “For us, we bought the existing Lazimpat-based Avocado Restaurant and Bar and turned it into the Avocado Café. People still think that only foreigners are interested in avocados, which is absolutely incorrect as about 70% of our customers are Nepalis.”

Shrestha feels that it is important for Nepali youngsters to learn more about and eat more avocados for overall health as well as business benefits. He adds, “The season for avocado cultivation lasts around six months — between Bhadra and Falgun, so we have to import our avocados, especially from African countries, for the rest of the year. I wish we had more commercial avocado farmers in Nepal. The demand for the fruit is exceptionally high because of its multi-faceted health benefits.”

Most visitors of the Avocado Café go for their special avocado salad, which Shrestha says is one of their best dishes.

With local governments in Nepal supporting and promoting commercial avocado farming of late, farmers have reaped innumerable benefits from the business. For example, the Municipal Assembly of Dhankuta on 22 June, 2018 declared the area as ‘Avocado Capital’ and hosted the first ever avocado festival on 24 November, 2018. The festival helped in drawing the attention of enthusiastic farmers, consumers, restaurateurs, and avocado aficionados alike.

Meanwhile, though people lean more towards eating avocados in several forms, very few are aware that cold-pressed avocado oils, avocado juice, and avocado furniture are the new global trend.