Onubafruit to devote 200 hectares to avocado cultivation in Huelva

In September 2016, the second grade cooperative Onubafruit made a 21 million Euro investment in the purchase of an 870 hectare farm located in Gibraleón, Huelva. The company has announced that some 652 hectares will be devoted to the cultivation of irrigated crops, with water from the community of irrigators, Sur-Andévalo. As a result, not only will the berry production be greatly expanded, but some 200 hectares will also be allocated to avocados. It will be the first time that the firm bets on this fashionable product. Overall, the investment in the purchase of the farm, the renovation of the same and the construction of packing infrastructure will amount to more than 51 million Euro.

The objective is not only to grow in terms of volume, but also to move part of the production (around 35%) from the area of ​​the County that is affected by the Irrigation Plan of the North Corona de Doñana and by the Forestry Law of 1992.

"At the moment, the farm is undergoing improvements so that it can later be divided into 5 hectare plots and be exploited under lease by our partners. At present, some 460 hectares have already been transformed, with about 70 hectares already in production, and we expect all hectares intended for berries to be already in production in the 2019 season, mainly with strawberries and raspberries, but also early blueberries to a lesser extent," explains Bartolomé Costa, of the technical department of Costa de Huelva, partner of Onubafruit.

200 hectares have already been reserved for the planting of Hass avocados, which will start in May and end in October of this year. "We have already purchased the plants in advance and set up probes to control the temperature, humidity and wind force within the plantation. With the help of specialists from Malaga and Granada, we have identified the area as ideal for the crop's cultivation," says Bartolomé Costa.

According to the technical manager, the demand for avocado plants is high, since in Huelva, in addition to Onubafruit, there are more companies interested in producing avocados. And there is also demand in the Algarve area, in Portugal, partly motivated by the water shortage issues in Malaga, which prevent further increases in the production.

"We believe that the market is very promising for this product in the future. Spain produces around 20-25% of what Europe consumes, and enjoys a very good reputation, partly because of the fruit coming from a neighbouring country. The demand around the world grows every year. Moreover, it is a crop that does not require an excessively high investment, since it does not need much labour for its cultivation and harvesting. Its profitability is not as high as that of berries, but it is very interesting."

The plantations are expected to yield their first commercial harvests from 2021, with a production window similar to that of Malaga and Granada.

It should also be noted that another of the cooperatives under the umbrella of Onubafruit, Freslucena, has also recently acquired new farms in Villablanca for the production of berries, so Onubafruit should be able to achieve a very notable growth in terms of volume and turnover in the short and medium term, consolidating as a leader in this sector.