While last week Chile registered a lot of unexpected rainfall for this time of the year, in previous years, droughts had taken a severe toll on the avocado producing areas, from Santiago to the north of the South American country. "The lack of water has had a big impact on the harvested volumes, mainly in the IV and V Regions. Over 10,000 hectares have been lost, and most of them won't be recovered. Exports have declined significantly in recent years, a result of the lower production due to the loss of plantations and the sustained increase in Chile's per capita consumption," affirms Óscar Villegas, representative of Subsole.
"Normally, our avocado export campaign kicks off in August and lasts until February. In recent seasons, exports to the United States and Europe have continued until early March, and from mid-March onwards, the fruit goes to the domestic market or is exported to nearby destinations, like Argentina. In the 2015-2016 season, we exported more than in the 2014-2015 campaign, and could be described as a year with good export volumes," continues Villegas.
Every year, avocado consumption continues to grow worldwide, which results in unmet demand in the window during which Chile can reach Europe and the potential to ship larger volumes in the future. "While countries such as Peru are recording a considerable growth in their exports, they are not direct competitors for Chile, since the production periods are different. Peru supplies the market for 4 or 5 months before the start of the Chilean campaign, when it pushes consumption in Europe and leaves an active market with high demand for Chile in September. Colombia is a country with great potential when it comes to avocado cultivation; it has regions that compete directly with Chile from December onwards, as well as other later areas that can supply the markets from March to April," affirms the representative of Subsole.
"Right now, it is still early to estimate next season's production volumes; in theory, it should be a discharge year, with lower volumes than last season, but there was a really good flowering and setting in the producing areas. In any case, you also need to wait until the winter is over to be able to make an accurate estimation, since frosts have the potential to take a toll on the production," he concludes.
For more information:
Óscar Villegas
Subsole
T: +56 2 2940 6400