The overflowing of rivers in southern Spain and Portugal due to the impact of various storms has caused significant damage to all kinds of crops, including avocados, whose harvest in the current season has been constantly interrupted by the weather. This has contributed to keeping the market supply limited while demand remains strong, so prices continue to rise.
"I can hardly remember ever seeing such rains in this area," says Juan Antonio Reyes Gutiérrez, Manager of the Malaga-based company Reyes Gutiérrez. "The strong winds have caused damage and fruit losses on farms in Portugal, Malaga, and especially in Cadiz. Nonetheless, these rains have also been beneficial for our growing areas after years of struggling with severe drought. At this point, we are sure to have enough irrigation resources for several seasons," he says. "The rainfall has been especially beneficial for mangoes and avocados, for which a fantastic spring is expected, with good vegetative development."
"Regarding avocados, 65% of the harvest in Spain and Portugal is estimated to have been completed, and while the rains recorded for many consecutive weeks have likely caused lots of interruptions, they have also brought a lot of joy. As the saying goes, 'it never rains to everyone's liking'. Even though we know that there has been a lot of damage, I hope that the benefits will be greater," says Juan Antonio.
© Reyes Gutierrez
Thus, both Portugal and Morocco, whose production has eventually been smaller, have also had problems harvesting because of the bad weather, so the supply has been very limited. Meanwhile, Chile is already finishing, and Mexico, which only makes air shipments to Europe, is focusing mainly on the United States. Also, Colombia has been less present in Europe this season, leaving Israel as one of the main suppliers. This has driven prices at the source to between 2.50 and 3 euros per kilo, with some sizes reaching 3.50 euros per kilo.
"The truth is that demand for avocados is very strong and prices continue to rise, with good results for all sizes," says Juan Antonio. "We expect the Spanish Hass season to last until mid to late March, when it will give way to the Lamb Hass, which is widely planted in the Valencian Community and where, given the current high demand, we are asking operators not to start early with the harvest, as the sale of unripe fruit could be very damaging for the market," he says.
This season's good sales have motivated Reyes Gutiérrez to accelerate its growth plans: "We are going to invest heavily in doubling the production and ripening capacity of our facilities, as well as in expanding the acreage of our own crops. At the moment, we have just over 500 hectares, but our aim is to reach 1,000 hectares in the next 2 or 3 years. We will continue to focus on subtropical crops as our main source of income and on modernizing our facilities," says Juan Antonio Reyes.
For more information:
Juan Antonio Reyes
Reyes Gutiérrez
Tel.: +34 952 50 56 06
jarg@reyesgutiérrez.com
www.reyesgutierrez.com
