At the moment, the avocado market is marked by high prices, both at origin and destination, as the volumes have started to fall. The situation is not going to improve in the short term and there are likely to be shortages until the first week of May.
According to Óscar Martínez, of the commercial department of the Spanish company Reyes Gutiérrez, on the one hand, the countries producing in the Mediterranean basin, such as Spain, Israel and Morocco, have already left their production peak behind and are facing the final stretch of the campaign; at the same time, Mexico has also finished its shipments from Jalisco to Europe and there are hardly any Chilean avocados left in the market.
On the other hand, the first avocados from Peru are arriving very slowly. Because of the weather, there has been a delay in the ripening of the fruit, which has not yet reached the optimum dry matter levels to be shipped. Furthermore, Peru could ship more to the United States this year due to the fall in Mexico's production, as prices are more attractive than in Europe. Similarly, South Africa is arriving late and there won't be a consistent supply in the European market until the first week of May.
"The prices at origin in Spain are exorbitant at the moment, so we have to sell the fruit at very high prices," explains Óscar Martínez, who adds that with these price levels, "sales experienced a slowdown."
"The situation in the coming weeks, until May, will be marked by shortages, although we have a campaign with closed programs and we don't expect to have problems getting fruit. Prices are going to rise even more and consumption could suffer," he warns.
30% annual growth of avocado consumption in the United Kingdom
"Demand for avocados is already at very high levels in Europe, especially in countries such as France, the United Kingdom or the Netherlands," affirms Óscar Martínez. "In the United Kingdom alone, annual growth amounts to 30%, and this trend is expected to continue for the next 5 years."
In recent years, Germany has awakened as a consumer of Hass avocados, and this is being felt in the European market. "The consumption of Hass avocados is not yet comparable to that of the UK or France, but a country with more than 80 million consumers who have just discovered the good qualities of the Hass has be taken into account. The future is very promising."