Avocado cultivation continues to expand in the Region of Valencia, especially in the provinces of Valencia and Castellon, where there are already about 450 hectares planted. This growth has been boosted by the fall in the profitability of citrus fruits in recent years and the search for alternatives by Valencian growers, although there are also large entrepreneurs in the ceramic sector who are betting on this crop.
"In 2018, we have planted around 72,000 avocado plants in the Region of Valencia, and for this year, another 79,000 have already been pre-sold," says Vicente Bayona, sales representative in the Region of Valencia for the nursery Brocaw Spain.
Vicente Bayona, at the latest edition of Fruit Logistca.
"We started selling avocado plants about 5 years ago, and ever since, the demand has been skyrocketing. This year, we have already covered the sales quota, so we are now selling for 2020. Every day they call us asking for plants. At the moment, the Valencian production is not very significant, given that the plants are not more than 5 years old, although the volumes are expected to start becoming rather significant by 2020 and 2021."
Given the lack of space for the crop's expansion in Malaga due to its limited water resources and the rising cost of its land, Brocaw Spain, based in Malaga, has opted to expand in Valencia, because it has ideal micro climates for the cultivation of this tropical fruit. "We are working jointly with the Valencian Institute of Agrarian Research (IVIA) in order to find the most suitable areas for the cultivation of this fruit, as well as for the analysis of its quality before being marketed," explains Vicente Bayona.
And, despite the high demand, Vicente Bayona insists on the idea that avocados cannot be planted without control, and that they have to be harvested after they have reached the optimum amount of dry matter. "The cultivation of avocados is not suitable in all areas of Valencia and it is important that this is respected, since the reputation of Valencian avocados could be harmed otherwise, taking a toll on the crop's profitability," he says.
In addition to plant sales, Vicente Bayona is also manager of the company Bayer Overseas, which provides technical support to producers, picks the fruit, packs it and exports it to markets in France and Switzerland under the Valls Tropik brand. "At the moment, we are harvesting the Hass variety, although the most planted one in Valencia is the Lamb Hass, which has a larger caliber and is harvested between early April and June."
"The avocado market is difficult at the moment, with a lot of production coming from Chile and Colombia, overlapping with the harvest of Malaga and Morocco. There is an abundance of small calibres and therefore, their prices are under pressure, but we are managing to keep the prices of the large sizes at good levels," says Vicente Bayona.
Given these circumstances, the prospect is that Valencian Lamb Hass avocados will have good sales in European markets, since their sizes are mostly 14, 16 and 18.
For more information:
Vicente Bayona Pérez
Bayex Overseas
M: +34 616445682
T: +34 673420483
gerencia@bayex.es
www.bayex.es