There continues to be an oversupply of avocados in the market, a situation that will last until the end of summer. Spain is importing avocados from the southern hemisphere at the moment, while it plans to increase its production in the future, taking into account how the demand has developed in recent years.
"There is currently a temporary oversupply of avocados, mostly due to the excess volume coming from South Africa and Peru," says the manager of the Malaga-based company Reyes Gutiérrez, one of the leading producers and marketers of subtropical fruits in Spain. However, he stresses that generally, "as the production volume grows, the demand also increases exponentially."
"We hope that the avocado market will improve, but from experience we know that the current supply will take time to be sold, at least until the end of August," he adds.
At present, the Malaga-based company is importing avocados of the Hass variety from Peru and South Africa. "In the summer of the Northern Hemisphere, Peru is the country that grows the most," says Juan Antonio Reyes. However, "Colombia has great potential to become a major player in the world avocado market, but still lacks the technology and experience," he says.
In Spain, the demand for avocados is growing very quickly, but it is difficult to expand the acreage in the Axarquía due to the scarcity of water resources, the exorbitant prices of land, etc. Some Spanish companies are investing in other areas of Spain and even in other countries.
"For now, Reyes Gutiérrez discards the idea of planting in other countries. We have studied it and it doesn't fit into our expansion plans; however, we do aim to grow in Spain, with new production areas in our country, in places such as Cadiz, Huelva or Valencia. The goal is to better control the quality of our products. In any case, we believe that the area of Huelva will be the one in which it will be possible to expand in a more controlled and professional way due to its climate and abundant water resources. In fact, there are already many companies from other sectors, such as those devoted to berries and citrus fruits, studying investments in these areas," explains Juan Antonio Reyes.