"Spain: "Organic mango and avocado consumption is growing year on year"

According to the producer, although the price of an organic avocado usually stands between 50 and 70 cents above that of a conventional avocado, consumption is increasing year after year.

"Consumption of organic mangoes and avocados is increasing substantially around the world due to the versatility of these products in the kitchen, as well as their taste, their nutritional properties and the greater consumer awareness about health issues," he affirms.

Bio Procam ships its organic mangoes and avocados to markets such as France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, the United States and Canada.

"Switzerland is a small market, but with a high demand for organic products, although Spain is surprising us, because when Procam started with the production and marketing of organic products eight years ago, virtually everything was exported to European markets. Over the last four years, however, demand in Spain has been growing steadily and now represents 10% of our sales," he points out.

"The increase has been observed especially in Barcelona, Madrid and the Basque Country, where more and more modern retailers with a preference for organic products are setting themselves up," he adds.

While there are some concerns in the organic sector about overproduction becoming a problem in the medium term, Pepe Álvarez believes that, given the quick growth, this should not become an issue for now in the case of tropical crops. "The vegetable production is the one growing the fastest. The planting of mangoes and avocados is happening more gradually due to the difficulties involved."

Pepe Álvarez is focused on the Keitt variety, for which they have found an attractive marketing window compared to the most widely planted variety in Spain: the Osteen. "Most growers in Malaga produce Osteen mangoes, with the peak marketing season taking place in the months of September and October. This allows them to avoid the risks of hail or frost in the previous months. We are focused on the Keitt, which is harvested later and entails more risks, since it is harvested in November, but the market is also usually less saturated around those dates. It is a very sweet mango that is also easy to handle."