AvocadoFest 2026 & Investors Meet concludes
Two days at the Municipal Town Hall, Sulthan Bathery drew around 800 delegates — farmers, FPOs, investors, traders and scientists from IIHR, CFTRI, NIIST, TNAU and KAU.
See all 20 photographs
News & Events
What we've been doing,
What we've been doing,
and what comes next.
Announcements, events and the record of what our gatherings have achieved for Wayanad's farmers. Photographs live in the Gallery; how-to articles are in Farming Guides.
Coming up
Programs open for participation.
No programs scheduled at the moment
AvocadoFest 2026 & Investors Meet concluded on 1 August 2026. The next edition and any training programs will be announced on this page first — along with dates, venue and how to register.
Farmers, exporters, entrepreneurs and investors — Indian and international — who want to be told directly when the next program opens are welcome to get in touch.
Latest news
Announcements and events, most recent first.
MoU signed with CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore
A Memorandum of Understanding between CSIR-CFTRI and WHFPC was signed on stage during the inaugural session, opening a formal research route into avocado processing and value addition for our growers.
Read what it meansNew avocado products launched by the Agriculture Minister
Adv. T. Siddique, Hon'ble Minister of Agriculture, launched a range of innovative avocado products including coconut cookies, salt & spice cookies and butter-fruit cake developed on CSIR-CFTRI technology.
5th Annual General Meeting
Shareholder farmers met at the Sulthan Bathery office to review the year and discuss the ‘Seed to Market’ mission.
See photographsWorkshop on avocado flowering, fruit setting and export avenues
A session on flowering and fruit set in avocado, and the export routes opening up for Wayanad growers. Avocado is only partly self-pollinating, which is why planting material matters so much.
Read the planting guideAvocado for wellness & nutrition — public outreach
Dr. A.T. Suresh took avocado nutrition to a wider audience at the Central Bureau of Communication's Integrated Communication and Outreach Programme in Wayanad.
Cocoa farming training for member farmers
A training programme on cocoa cultivation held at the Wilton Hotel, Sulthan Bathery.
AvocadoFest 2025 and the Avocado Mission launch
The first AvocadoFest, at Ambalavayal. Timed to International Avocado Day, it launched a year-long programme to brand ‘Wayanadan Avocado’ and declare Ambalavayal an Avocado City.
See the 2025 archiveMost recent program
What the last edition set out to do, and what it delivered.
Concluded
AvocadoFest 2026 & Investors Meet
“Unlocking the Avocado Economy: Roadmap for Sustainable Growth”
Over two days at the Municipal Town Hall in Sulthan Bathery, around 800 delegates — farmers, FPOs and FPCs, academicians, industry professionals, SMEs, traders and scientists from IIHR, CFTRI, NIIST, TNAU and KAU — gathered for the second edition of the AvocadoFest.
The Fest was inaugurated by Adv. T. Siddique, Hon'ble Minister of Agriculture, Government of Kerala, who lit the ceremonial lamp and launched a range of innovative avocado products. Shri I.C. Balakrishnan, MLA for Sulthan Bathery, opened the accompanying agricultural exhibition. The most consequential moment came on the opening morning, when a Memorandum of Understanding between CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore and WHFPC was signed on stage — opening a formal research and technology route for Wayanad's avocado growers into processing and value addition.
Alongside the technical sessions ran an agricultural exhibition, a display of value-added products, an investors' meet, and open interaction between farmers and scientists.
See all 20 photographs in the GalleryWatch the sessions
Day one was streamed live by Wayanad Vision on Facebook.
Day two was not streamed.
- Dates
- 31 July & 1 August 2026Inauguration 10.15 – 11.30 am
- Venue
- Municipal Town HallSulthan Bathery, Wayanad, Kerala
- Delegates
- Around 800Farmers, FPOs, investors, scientists & traders
- Inaugurated by
- Adv. T. SiddiqueHon'ble Minister of Agriculture, Government of Kerala — with Shri I.C. Balakrishnan, MLA for Sulthan Bathery, opening the exhibition
- Organised by
- WHFPCWith the State Department of Agriculture, Kisan Service Society, Sulthan Bathery Municipality, KERA, KABCO, IIHR Bangalore, CSIR-CFTRI Mysore & NIIST Thiruvananthapuram
What came out of it
Four things the 2026 edition leaves behind for Wayanad's growers.
MoU with CSIR-CFTRI
A formal agreement between CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore and WHFPC, signed on stage during the inaugural session — a direct line to food-processing research for our farmers.
New avocado products launched
Innovative avocado products were launched by the chief guest, including avocado coconut cookies, salt & spice cookies and butter-fruit cake developed on CSIR-CFTRI technology.
Investors' meet
Investors, exporters and startups — from within India and abroad — met progressive farmers to explore cultivation, processing, cold storage, packaging and export opportunities in exotic fruits.
Exhibition & farmer–scientist dialogue
An agricultural exhibition, a display of value-added products and open sessions where growers put their questions directly to national research institutes.
The inaugural session
31 July 2026, 10.15 – 11.30 am, Municipal Town Hall, Sulthan Bathery.
Welcome
Dr. A.T. Suresh
Organising Committee
Chief Guest
Adv. T. Siddique
Hon'ble Minister of Agriculture, Govt. of Kerala — chief guest's address, lamp lighting and launch of innovative avocado products
Exhibition
Shri I.C. Balakrishnan
Hon'ble MLA, Sulthan Bathery — inauguration of the exhibition & remarks
Chairman
Shri M.R. Sunil Kumar
Chairman, WHFPC — chairman's remarks
MoU
Smt. Raseena Abdul Khader
Hon'ble Municipal Chairman, Sulthan Bathery — guest of honour; facilitation of the MoU between CSIR-CFTRI & WHFPC
Guest
Dr. Giridhar Parvatham
Director, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore — remarks by guest of honour
About
Shri Manilal P
Organising Committee — about the Avocado Fest & Investors Meet
Felicitation
Shri Jose Thayyil & others
National Chairman, Kisan Service Society; Prof. Yamini Varma; Shri Saju K Surendran (KABCO); Shri Suresh C Thampi (KERA); Smt. Seema B (Principal Agriculture Officer, Wayanad); Shri Suresh A.R (Project Director, ATMA Wayanad)
Thanks
Shri Padmaraj P
Organising Committee — vote of thanks
Earlier editions
Where the AvocadoFest started.
Concluded
AvocadoFest 2025 — the first edition
The inaugural AvocadoFest brought together growers, agricultural officers and researchers for a first public reckoning of what avocado could mean for Wayanad. Exhibition stalls carried fresh fruit and early value-added products; the sessions put farmers directly in front of scientists.
Timed to International Avocado Day on 31 July, it launched a year-long training programme to brand “Wayanadan Avocado” and declare Ambalavayal an Avocado City. It drew wide regional press and television coverage, including reports on the district's oldest avocado tree — over 75 years old. That reception is what made the larger 2026 edition and its Investors Meet possible.
Be part of the next one
Whether you grow avocados, process them, research them, or are looking at agri-business investment from India or overseas — tell us now and we'll come to you first when the next program opens.
