Spain's avocado campaign is currently in full swing with the harvest of the Hass variety. The drought and lack of water resources in Malaga have led growers to diversify their production in other regions, such as the Region of Valencia, where FreshPlaza visited the facilities of Grupo Alcoaxarquía to learn more about the development and current situation of avocado cultivation in this region, but also globally, given this company's commitment to a global production.
In 2023, Grupo Alcoaxarquía opened its subsidiary Alcoaxarquía Levante in the town of Sollana, Valencia, which after an investment of 2 million euros currently has the capacity to handle 1,000 tons of avocados per month, about 40 pallets daily, although its goal is to double that figure. Valencian avocados are highly oriented towards both the local and the export markets.
The packing plant of Alcoaxarquía Levante used to be a supermarket, so temperatures can be controlled in all rooms throughout the entire process. "This is an innovative concept in the sector, as we only pre-ripen and pack the fruit at the main facility. The fruit's reception from the field and its sorting is done at another facility in order to have more space and ensure cleanliness. I believe this is the future, also for other crops," says José Antonio Alconchel, CEO of Grupo Alcoaxarquía.
True to its business vision, Alcoaxarquía manages not only the handling plant, but also a part of the local production through agreements with producers in the area, as well as the activity of its own farms. The Region of Valencia already has about 3,600 hectares devoted to avocados, although it is believed that this acreage will soon exceed 4,000.
"At the moment, about 70% of the avocados produced in the Region of Valencia are of the Lamb Hass variety, and the other 30% are Hass, although we expect these shares to become 50%-50% in the future," says José Antonio. "The Lamb Hass is a good variety, as good as the Hass; the problem is that the harvest has been carried out prematurely for years, and it has been poorly managed, since, although it resembles the Hass, it has a later harvest calendar, from mid-March to late April or early May."
Alberto Fernández, Floor Manager at Alcoaxarquía Levante.
"Our goal is to transfer Malaga's know-how to Valencia's fields, as we have been working with tropical fruits in Malaga for 18 years. I believe that the Region of Valencia has great potential as an avocado producing area in Spain, and there's plenty of room to grow. However, growers there still need more knowledge about production, harvesting and marketing to deliver a high-quality product to the market, as it is still a relatively new crop in the area. Avocados are not a business opportunity, but a product for specialists," says the company's CEO.
Grupo Alcoaxarquía already manages around 2,700 hectares spread across different provinces in Spain, as well as in several countries in both hemispheres. In addition to its headquarters in Malaga, the group also has subsidiaries in Peru and Morocco, and soon expects to announce the opening of a new subsidiary in another country that will allow it to supply avocados all year round with its own production and agreements with other producers. The group, which has a remarkable organic production project, ships its fruit to Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America through its various subsidiaries. "We aim to achieve full control of our production to be able to offer the same quality standards throughout the year," says José Antonio.
In Spain, Malaga is still the largest avocado producing area, although problems in the supply of irrigation water have led to a reduction of its production and increasing diversification in other parts of Spain, such as Granada, Cadiz, Huelva or the Region of Valencia. "What is happening in the Axarquía of Malaga is comparable to a restaurant with only one kitchen adding more tables non-stop, while always keeping the same kitchen," says José Antonio Alconchel. "A significant change is expected to happen in the Axarquía, in Malaga, where a large part of the avocados will be replaced by mangoes, which have much lower water needs."
"It will be difficult to achieve full avocado productivity at a global level in the coming years"
According to the entrepreneur, the future is looking good for avocados, as consumption still has potential to grow in many countries. However, "since the pandemic years, the market has shown greater instability, with sharp peaks and troughs in prices due to the impact of inflation on the purchasing power of consumers and production imbalances caused by abrupt climate change in the major producing countries."
"For this reason, even though a lot of avocado has been planted worldwide, it will be difficult to achieve full productive capacity in the coming years. Meanwhile, consumption will continue to increase," he says.
For more information:
José Antonio Alconchel
Grupo Alcoaxarquía
M: +34 607396517
T: +34 951 33 39 34
joseantonio@alcoaxarquia.es
www.alcoaxarquia.com