After a slow start to the Moroccan Hass avocado season, preceded by friction over volumes and prices between producers and exporters, or between exporters and customers, the season has now been running more "normally" for a week, according to Abdelkrim Allaoui, president of the association of avocado growers in the Gharb region.
"The start of the season was strange. Following significant losses in volumes in Morocco, and in anticipation of high prices for Moroccan avocados, buyers put a lot of pressure on the market to reduce prices. We saw a clear determination on the part of buyers in Europe to push down the prices of Moroccan avocados, even lower than last season," Allaoui says.
© Abdelkrim
The start of the Moroccan Hass avocado season coincided with an increased supply on the European market, where several Latin American origins were delivering large quantities of avocados. Allaoui assures that the market has been returning to a normal state last week. He states: "I think reports of oversupply in Europe are exaggerated and aimed at driving prices down. In any case, we have seen prices improve over the past week, and the market is returning to a more normal price level. Farm gate prices for Moroccan avocados have risen by more than 15% over the past two weeks."
According to previous industry statements, Hass avocado harvests have been slow in Morocco so far, as growers were not satisfied with prices. Allaoui comments: "The pace of harvesting increased significantly last week following the improvement in prices and remains very active. The harvest will then pause for the last two weeks of December, as is usually the case, before resuming in January."
According to the growers' representative, one of the main reasons for the price increase is domestic demand in Morocco. He explains: "The early arrival of Ramadan is revitalizing the business. Local market traders have already started to build up their stocks, which has contributed to the price increase. The pace of procurement even suggests that the Moroccan avocado season will end very early this year."
Allaoui concludes by emphasizing that the quality and size of the fruit "are really good this season," which should be reflected in prices rather than "market pressures."
For more information:
Abdelkrim Allaoui
Association of avocado growers in the Gharb
Tel: +212 672-077375
Email: [email protected]
