First Moroccan Hass at Halls

Halls’ have received their first shipments of Hass avocado from Morocco to complement the winter supply to their European-wide customer base. The first arrival to their Rungis ripening and packing facility has tested well, thanks to satisfactory oil levels and uniform external appearance, giving ‘ripe and ready’ fruit with excellent colour, texture and flavour.

The fruit is sourced from farms in the Larache region. Although most farms in Morocco are relatively small (20-70ha) Halls are working with a small number of larger growers who are harvesting from farms of up to 350ha. These larger growers have relatively young orchards of Hass which are 4-5 years of age and now coming into full commercial production. This year there is a good crop with estimates of 8,000 tonnes compared to the cold-affected 3,000 tonnes last year.

Halls have been working exclusively with their Moroccan partner for the last 5 years and will continue to develop this origin. Graham Ballard, Halls’ Global Technical Manager says. “I am of the firm opinion that this origin has great potential to develop further and will continue to improve with more structure and coordination across the production base. Halls are facilitating this structure through the provision of technical support from orchard level through to market arrival. With a mediated coastal climate the region is conducive to growing good quality avocado. The short transit time to the European market naturally allows for fresh fruit to arrive in good condition within the same week of picking, with competitive pricing achieved.”

From December 2013 to April 2014 Halls expect to receive 500 tonnes of Hass, packed under the Halls brand, into their Rungis and Marseille operations.

For more information:
Izam Afkir
HL Hall International
Tel: +33 1 82 39 00 33
Email: [email protected]
www.hlhall.co.uk