According to Sierra Exportadora, the value of Peruvian Hass Avocado exports has increased by 12,000% over the past 14 years, from $2,480,000 dollars in the year 2000 to $305,533,000 dollars in 2014.
The Chief Executive of Sierra Exportadora, Alfonso Velasquez Tuesta, said Peru had to take advantage of the agro-ecological characteristics of the inter-Andean valleys in the country, which would allow them to harvest avocados between the months of November and March, thus giving them the ability to cover the lower offer of avocado to the European Union.
In that sense, the head of the National Program of Innovation and Industry of Hass Avocados and other fruit trees of Sierra Exportadora, Vicente Zegarra, said that the Hass Avocado was currently being shipped to 35 countries and that its main markets were the Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, France, United States, Canada, Chile, Russia and Hong Kong.
He also stated that, after being opened to Mexico and Chile, the People's Republic of China's market had recently opened its doors to Peruvian avocados. In this offer, he added, the agro-industrial complexes on the coast have had a significant role within a legal framework that favours exports and agricultural investments by the State.
However, the production of small producers of avocado associations located in the valleys of the Peruvian Andes, who 5 years ago started a process to convert their plantations to the Hass variety and expand it to new areas planted, as well as an articulation to the markets process with the support of Sierra Exportadora, is starting to emerge.
In 2014, for example, 29 business plans were carried out based on this fruit via the National Program of Innovation and Industry of Hass Avocado and other Fruit Trees of Sierra Exportadora, resulting in 90,199,581 S. in sales within the country (US $27.729.155,19) and $18.109.506 dollars in exports.
"The trend for the future is growth, as there are young orchards that still do not produce, others that are in their second harvest, new fields and new nurseries are being installed thanks to the success of producers of avocado on the coast, and to business plans supported by Sierra Exportadora", he said.
This agency is developing strategies so that small Andean producers are more competitive by improving their production processes, promoting association of producers, training them in good agricultural practices and articulating them with the exporting companies. A new strategy is the management, implementation and certification of the Global G.A.P., FairTrade and organic protocols and directly accessing external markets.
He added that Sierra Exportadora was involved in the regions of Cusco, Apurimac, Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Arequipa, Moquegua, Ancash and La Libertad, in an area of 849 hectares for Hass Avocado and 2,120 hectares in Fuerte avocado. In addition, the sierra region has 15,000 hectares with the potential to be developed with projects of Hass Avocado for export.
Data
In 2000 Peru exported 2,209 tons of Hass Avocado and in 2014 the country exported 179.037 tons.