According to Sierra y Selva Exportadora, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, during the last 5 years the value of Peruvian Hass avocado exports increased by 260% from US$ 85 million in 2010 (59,521 tons), to US $ 306.1 million (175,739 tons) in 2015.
In the last five years, the Hass avocado has entered many different EU markets, such as the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Belgium. It is well established in the United States, Costa Rica, and Canada in the Americas; and Hong Kong, China, and Japan are important markets in Asia. The country also exports Hass avocado to another 25 countries.
Between January and September 2016, the country exported 193,749 tons of Hass avocados worth US $ 379.7 million, $28 million (7.5%) of which came from the highlands, where Sierra y Selva Exportadora works.
Sierra said this fruit could soon enter more markets in the European Union because Peru had a commercial window from December to March, where these countries had a low supply of avocados and where they could obtain the best prices. Exporters should take advantage of this window as the production areas have a good temperature, humidity and a lower incidence of pests and diseases.
Nearly 5,000 producers have received technical advice
Between January and September 2016, Sierra y Selva Exportadora's National Hass Avocado and other fruit trees Program has provided technical advice to a total of 4,875 small (direct and indirect) producers of avocado from ten associations located in six regions of the country: Áncash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cusco, and La Libertad.
During this period of time, the company promoted the use of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to obtain the GlobalGAP certificate, which will allow producers to enter their product to new markets competitively. Expectations are that the the country will have 30 of these certifications by the end of the year.
They have also been promoting the creation of a cluster for avocados, which will be made up of the regional governments, local producer associations, and companies. The goal of this cluster will be to improve the avocado's competitiveness and quality, as well as to establish production standards to market this fruit.
Similarly, the sector is opting for the conversion and increase in area of Hass avocado and they expect to have 650 new hectares installed with this variety this year, which will be distributed in the regions of Apurimac, Cusco, Ayacucho, Ancash, Lima Provinces, and Huancavelica.