According to the Association of Hass Avocado Producers of Peru (Prohass), which markets 85% of the national production, Peru exported about 110,000 metric tonnes (MT) of avocados during 2013, 95,000 tonnes of which were of Hass avocado and 15,000 of other varieties.
According to José Antonio Gómez, Prohass' commercial manager, Peru exported 95,000 tonnes of Hass avocado for which they billed $150 million dollars this year. The main markets were European, mainly The Netherlands and Germany, which accounted for 50% of shipments; followed by the United States, 30%, and Latin America and Hong Kong (China), with 20%.
In addition, 15,000 tonnes of the Fuerte avocado variety and other varieties were also exported to the same destinations. Gomez stressed that altogether 110,000 tonnes were shipped, a 30% increase over the volume in 2012. In that sense, he projected that shipments in 2014 would increase by 14%.
He believes the increase would be due to the new areas that were cultivated in 2011, which would go into production next year. He reported that new plantations were located mainly in the mountainous departments and from Arequipa to Piura. He also noted that, every year, some 1,000 hectares of avocado, which are run by small and medium producers, were planted in the Andean region of Peru.
He also said that during 2013 Peruvian avocado shipments to the U.S. market competed with shipments from California (USA), which had a production that amounted to 100,000 MT. "In the case of the exports to Europe, we were surprised by the production and shipments from Mexico, which produced over 120,000 MT. Other competitors were South Africa and other African countries like Kenya," he said.
Gomez, who is also the manager of Camposol, said that this company had exported about 27,000 MT of Hass avocados worth nearly 44 million dollars FOB during 2013.
Markets for 2014
Gomez estimated that the avocados would enter two new markets in 2014: Japan and Chile. About Japan, he said that, in the coming days, the authorities of the National Agrarian Health Service (SENASA) would tour Asia so that they could open a market for the Peruvian avocados in 2014. He said that the Japanese market consumes more than 70,000 metric tonnes of the product per year, which makes it a potential destination. He also estimated that the Chinese market for Peruvian avocados would open between the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015. He also said that Peru could send more than 15,000 MT to Asia in the first year.
Regarding Chile, he said that, in theory, it was an open market. "We just need them to deliver the document signed by the SAG Chile approving the entry of Peruvian avocados without undergoing the quarantine process," he said. Gomez projected that, at the latest, the Peruvian avocados should be entering this country in 2014.
Source: Agraria.pe