"Spain: "This year, we will reach a record 100 containers of Peruvian avocados"

The last avocados from Malaga were sold about a month ago, with prices at origin that reached 3.40 Euro. At present, Spanish companies are mainly importing Peruvian avocados, which clearly dominate the European market as soon as South Africa is finished.

"The great supply of Peruvian avocados, which has grown by 20% this year, together with the production arriving from South Africa, Kenya and Colombia, resulted in market saturation since May," says José Antonio Alconchel, manager of Alcoaxarquía. "The volume available will now start to fall as the last batches from South Africa and Colombia are sold out," he adds.

According to the entrepreneur, "the harvest in Peru is luckily being very staggered this year due to the fact that the fruit has taken longer to reach the right fat levels. This will cause the Peruvian avocado campaign to be longer. Besides shipping to the United States, Peru is opening up to other markets, such as China and Japan, where the demand is growing very rapidly, and the increase of imports from neighbouring Chile is also noteworthy."

This year, the Malaga-based company inaugurated its subsidiary Alcoaxarquía Peru, where it packs the production purchased under contract from growers. Furthermore, the volume of avocados shipped from Peru will reach a record level. "We had planned to import 70 containers this year, but we will easily reach 100 containers," says José Antonio Alconchel. According to the producer and marketer, the quality of Peruvian avocados is the best at this time. "The standards of Peruvian avocados resemble those of the Spanish."

Alcoaxarquía's goal is to concentrate its supply in two origins: Peru and Spain. "We started to market the first Peruvian avocados with a 23% fat content and grown in the highest altitudes in April. At the moment, avocados are being harvested on the coast, with fat levels of around 24%. The bulk of the campaign will come to an end in July and August, although we will still be able to supply Peruvian avocados until September, and from then on, we will start harvesting the first Spanish Bacon," says Alconchel.