The final day of Macfrut, the international trade fair for the fruit and vegetable supply chain, delivered a packed agenda of focus sessions, meetings and workshops at the Rimini Expo Centre, with the spotlight on growth opportunities for mango and avocado in Southern Italy.
Southern Italy is increasingly emerging as a strategic production area for mango and avocado. This was the key message from the seminar held “Mango and Avocado Explosion”, the three-day event dedicated to these two fruits, which have seen a sharp rise in both consumption and business investment in recent years.
Pietro Mauro, Director of Fruitimprese, analysed the mango and avocado market. As for mango, Italy ranks as the seventh largest importer in Europe, with volume growth of 412% from 2011 to 2025 (+80% in the last five years) and value growth of 556% (+67% in the 2020–2025 period). For avocados, Italy is the fifth largest importer in Europe, recording a +367% increase in volume over the past 15 years (+142% between 2020 and 2025) and an impressive +700% in value over the same period (+144% between 2020 and 2025). A share of imported products is then re-exported: 8% of mango volumes purchased abroad (14% in value) and 6% of avocado quantities (6% in value). Consumption trends also confirm strong growth for both products. Between 2024 and 2025, mango purchases increased by 67% in volume and 60% in value, with prices slightly decreasing (-4%). For avocados, the increase was +39% in volume and +40% in value, with prices remaining stable (+1%).
Paolo Inglese from the Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences at the University of Palermo explained the ongoing expansion of tropical crops in Southern Italy (particularly in Sicily), focusing on mango and avocado. According to the professor, climate change may introduce some production challenges. However, if approached in a coordinated way, these Made in Italy tropical fruits can rely on high quality, short supply chains and sustained prices, supported by growing demand. This represents a key opportunity for the sector, which can develop a fully structured supply chain starting from a national nursery system capable of enhancing local production. At the same time, Inglese stressed the need to further strengthen the image and recognisability of Italian products.
Fabio Ferrari, National Manager of the Fruit and Import Department at Coop, and Nicola Buoso, Senior Exotic Fruit Buyer at Conad, highlighted the growing importance of mango and avocado within their respective retail chains. Buoso noted that avocado turnover has now surpassed that of pineapple within the exotic fruit category, with strong growth also recorded for mango. Ferrari confirmed that avocados have gained significant weight within Coop as well, with volume growth of 60% over the past four years. Mango is also on the rise, albeit with lower figures. Both managers reaffirmed their companies’ confidence in these products and, looking ahead, also in Italian production.
Fonte: Macfrut 2026
