Normally overshadowed in the marketplace by Mexican imports, California’s homegrown avocados will be celebrated during a three-day event in Carpinteria beginning on October 4 at 1:00 pm. Admission to the California Avocado Festival is free.
A guacamole contest is open to participants of all ages. There will be musical performances, including one by seven-year-old singer Soleil Perry, on four stages along Linden Avenue. Food vendores will also be available. Proceeds from the event will go to the Carpinteria Education Foundation and the Carpinteria Future Farmers of America.
Imports of avocados on the rise
Americans are eating more avocados, but fewer avocados are being grown in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “The United States has produced an average of about 400 million pounds of avocados each year since 2000, but production has slowly declined since 2011 with a decline in U.S. avocado acreage,” the department said.
Imports made up 90 percent of the avocados available to consumers in the United States, the department said. “Mexico is the leading global producer of avocados, and the United States is the main destination for Mexico’s avocado exports,” the department said.