According to Milton Ararat, a PhD in Agricultural Sciences of the National University of Colombia (UN) Palmira, opening exports of avocados to the United States is a good marketing strategy, but the country must establish and sustain its production.
Ararat stated that the crop faces problems that must be faced integrally - especially in the nursery phase - to obtain healthy seedlings.
An investigation led by him evaluated the influence of mineral nutrition and enzymatic activity of the rhizosphere (part of the soil in contact with roots) in the reduction of damage caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi Rands (which causes the root of avocado seedlings to rot).
As a result of this research, the expert established a comprehensive and preventive physiological management, with biological products for this crop, against phytosanitary problems.
Agricultural engineer Ramiro Tafur Reyes of the Colombian West Farmers' Association (Adagro) stated that the "opening of the US market as an importer of Hass avocado poses an organizational challenge and requires Colombia to comply with phytosanitary regulations."
Regarding the recent announcement made by the vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, about the agreement to export Hass avocado to his country, engineer Tafur said that Colombia had to perform special work on the control of two quarantine pests.
"It is necessary to apply correctives in the so-called patio trees, which are not controlled, because the insects can pass to the export crops," he said.
The production expected to be exported to the United States should have a pest free radius around farms of at least one kilometer, he said.
"We have exported avocados to Europe without problems, but we'll be sending a very small volume to the US this year because the fruit exported there must have integrated quarantine pest management certifications to access that country," added the engineer.
Desired fruit
The Hass avocado started to become popular in the nineties and its consumption in the world has become widespread. Its high fat content and medium size are adjusted to the needs of the European and North American market, which are composed by smaller families.
In addition, it's easy to identify when it is ready for consumption because its skin turns black, which prevents people from touching it to know if it is soft, something that happens with green avocados, which are widely consumed in Colombia.
The world's largest producer of Hass avocado is Mexico, which exports about 70% of its production to the United States, Peru and Chile. Colombia currently has approximately 12,000 hectares of this variety.
The departments of Antioquia, Caldas, and Risaralda are highly productive. The Valle del Cauca is beginning to cultivate it for commercial uses and has 500 hectares of cultivation. This fruit should be grown in high areas, between 1,700 to 2,300 msnm
The country's Hass avocado production is for export, mainly to Europe. Producers send smaller sized good quality fruits to the internal market.
Healthy seedlings
According to Tafur and Ararat, the key to the success of the crop is the propagation of healthy material, which complies with the rules of the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) on integrated management, which includes the correct management of Quarantine pests and the use of insecticides approved by US law.
Currently, the Ministry of Agriculture, in agreement with Adagro, is promoting a project with small producers of seven departments, to cover 1,700 hectares. They will support producers so that they learn the cultivation techniques.
"The export to a country that has a big potential is an incentive to work hard," said Tafur, who estimated that in five years, the country should have 20,000 hectares planted with Hass avocado, which would make it the third largest producer of that variety in the world.
Colombia's avocado exports to Europe amount to $25 million a year. The country has 8,000 to 10,000 hectares in production and produces some 20,000 to 30,000 tons of avocado per semester.
Source: National University News Agency