This market is ready to supply its consumers with Chilean avocados. Expectations are that the revenues of Chilean avocado in the United States will be higher in December and January.
According to importers, the rainy weather of the Chilean spring has caused their avocado to have a a slower entry into the United States, but the late rains won't affect the fruits' quality.
"We expect to see fruit in December, which will continue until March or April," said the president of Index Fresh Inc. in California, Dana Thomas, who added that rainfall didn't have a negative effect on the production and that, in fact, it had been well received by producers. "They were only late rains, which was good for everyone and everything," she said.
According to The Packer, the rains and the weather could have caused a delay in the ripening of the Chilean avocados, but there were no complications due to frost.
Additionally, there were no pest or disease problems. "The Andes on the east and the desert in the north help keep the pressure to a minimum," says The Packer. Chile is pretty clean in terms of pests and diseases, said Thomas, who expects volumes will be higher than the 11,000 tons achieved in the previous season, which was 80% lower than the volume obtained in the 2013-2014 season.
The director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA), Karen Brux, said this decline was caused because the Chilean and European markets had been very strong for producers and exporters, and that the same would happen during this campaign.
Bruce Downen, the executive vice president of The Giumarra Cos, said that shipments for the coming season may not be greater than 30 million boxes. "There are other markets that have been offering better returns than the US at critical times of Chilean exports," he said. "Not even the most favorable exchange rate can match the differences with the European market," he added.
However, importers expect returns for Chilean avocados in the US to be stronger in December and January when compared to Europe because they have been receiving shipments since October. However, it should be noted that most Chilean avocados destined for the United States has been purchased in advance.
During the opening ceremony of the PMA Fruittrade Latin America, John Carolus Brown, the President of Fedefruta, will speak about the Chilean avocado season to the supermarkets and importers that go to the meeting.
Source: The Packer / fedefruta.cl