As the Mexican avocado supplies are changing seasons, supplies of ‘loca’ avocados are coming in.
“It’s in the middle of changing seasons and the ‘loca’ (also known as ‘off-bloom’) season should finish between the middle to the end of September,” says Jorge Mardones of OTC Produce LLC based in McAllen, Tex. After that, the 2019 season begins. Harvest for product for the US comes from the Michoacán region of Mexico, which is currently the only region that avocados are allowed to be imported from. (Other countries, such as Canada for example, can import from regions such as Jalisco.) “Right now the ‘loca’ is harder green fruit that you can keep in cold storage for one to two weeks with no problems,” says Mardones. “But there’s not too much volume.”
Mexican avocados appreciated
As the new crop comes on, Mardones notes that there’ll be ample avocados available this year. “Right now the prices are looking high,” says Mardones, adding that Mexican avocados are a much-appreciated commodity in the US and fall just behind California avocados in pricing. “California avocados are first because Americans want to buy their own fruit and those are about $2-$3 higher in price,” he says. “Then it’s Mexican avocados and then Peruvian. Mexican avocados attract higher prices than Peruvian because of the taste.”
Mardones anticipates prices dropping as new volume arrives. “Every day the crop is maturing and more and more orchards are allowed to harvest,” he says.
This all applies to the conventional side of the business. “Organic avocados are in demand and don’t have the highs and lows of the prices on conventional. It’s more stable and priced at $2-$3 more and has longer cold storage—about 1.5 weeks more with good quality avocados,” he says. “And people are always looking for organics.”