Demand for the green smoothie mainstay has surged in Japan the past few years. In 2016, Japan imported 74,000 tons ($211m) of the fruit, up 2.5 times from a decade earlier. Mexico is the major supplier with 93 percent share followed by US, Newe Zealand, Peru and Chile.

Demand has risen in other countries, too. In the U.S., consumption has doubled to more than a million tons in the past 10 years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In China, imports reportedly leaped from 4,066 tons in 2014 to more than 25,000 tons in 2016.

The avocado’s explosive popularity in China has made Japanese wholesalers nervous. They believe that China could soon take over Japan in avocado consumption.

Sources: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/China-crowding-Japan-out-of-avocado-market; UN Trademap