"Competition in the international avocado market is fierce"

Against the background of a season that Jaguacy's staff describes as "really good", with a 30% increase in production volumes, reaching 4,400 tonnes harvested, we interviewed them to know more about the situation in the avocado market. 

Of the 4,400 tonnes that Jaguacy harvested in Brazil this year, 200 were used for the production of frozen pulp and 15 for the production of avocado oil.

"We had a 100% increase in sales of frozen pulp compared to 2013 and there is still great room for growth. Avocado oil has an optimal potential as a product, but it has yet to be widely accepted," affirmed Liliana Zayas, spokeswoman for the company. 

It is clear that the processing market is still in its earliest stages of development compared to that of fresh produce. 

"Competition in the overseas markets is fierce. Last year, Peru shipped poor quality fruit, which didn't ripen, and the market was deeply affected. This year, Peru has already learned the lesson and improved the fruit's quality to keep avocado prices at sustainable levels," she stated. 

Jaguacy exports Brazilian avocados to over 20 countries. This year it has started shipping to new destinations, namely Morocco and Eastern Europe. 

"Eastern Europe is the newest client for the 2014 harvest and trade relations with them are not having any impact on the negotiations with Europe. There are some logistics difficulties in Eastern Europe, but so far I have not had any problems with non-payments," she replied after being asked about the current conflict between Russia and the European Union.

The global potential of avocado is not easy to estimate. Europe still consumes very little avocados in relation to its consumer capacity. 

"If the necessary investment in advertising and marketing is done, we believe consumption could double."