When the Chilean avocado season had practically come to an end, SimFRUIT spoke with Juan Enrique Lazo, General Manager of the Hass Avocado Committee of Chile, who highlighted the good production volumes and exports this season. He also stressed that shipments will probably continue to be made until July this year, thus overlapping with the start of the new 2017-2018 export season.
According to statistics from ASOEX, (based on data provided by the Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG)), in the period from 1 September 2016 to 14 March 2017 Chile exported a total of 136,153 tonnes of avocados, mainly Hass, to various international markets. Of this amount, more than 84 thousand tonnes were shipped to the European market, which has become the main destination for this Chilean fruit, displacing the Chilean domestic market as the biggest consumer of the country's avocados.
In this regard, Lazo pointed out that, "when it comes to shipments, we have exceeded the initial estimates because there was more fruit, but also because more avocados which were intended for the domestic market were diverted to international destinations."
As for the destination markets, the professional added that "Europe is a market that has recorded a significant growth when it comes to the export of Chilean avocados, especially Germany. This trend has also been observed in China, where our shipments have almost tripled."
In this regard, it is important to note that during 2015-2016, Chile exported 46 tonnes of avocados to Germany, while in 2016-2017 the country received more than 2,800 tonnes. France, meanwhile, went from 814 tonnes to over 4,200 tonnes. This growth has also been observed in countries such as Switzerland, whose imports grew from 23 tonnes to more than a thousand tonnes, or Belgium, which has gone from 436 tonnes in the previous season to more than 1,500 tonnes this campaign.
China
In the 2015-2016 marketing year, the sector exported more than 3,400 tonnes of Hass avocados to the Chinese market, and if we included Hong Kong, the figure exceeds 5,400 tonnes. But in the 2016-2017 season, the volume exported to China has exceeded 9,800 tonnes; over 11 thousand tonnes if we include Hong Kong, which shows the significant growth of the fruit's shipments to the Asian Giant.
Juan Enrique Lazo highlighted not only these increases, but also the positive response of consumers, even though he also mentioned some issues that arose this season, given that it has been the first campaign in which Chile has been exporting larger volumes of the fruit; problems which, he said, will be solved as they become more familiar with the market and consumption increases.
"As with any new product in a new market, there are periods marked by a lack of control; periods when more fruit is shipped than was sensible, and when quality was not always on a par with what was expected - all of which pushed prices down. Consequently, China was not our best destination in terms of returns, but still, it remains a very attractive market, on which our industry is going to focus in the future," stated the representative of the Committee.
An aspect that has helped develop the Chinese market and increase the presence of Chilean avocados in China is the promotions that have been organised, some in partnership with ASOEX's promotions department, which have had a positive impact on volumes, prices and demand.
"It has gone really well for us," said the representative, "and there was a positive response to the promotional campaign as regards the volume, prices and the number of players involved. The importers told us that they were very happy with the results."
The main promotional campaigns carried out by the Chilean avocado industry have taken place at the points of sale, since they tend to be the most commercially effective. In this sense, actions were organised in grocery stores and stores specialised in the sale of fruit. Moreover, activities were carried out on social media, with a focus on educating consumers on the best way to consume this fruit.
Another promotional action worth recalling is the one carried out as part of the sector's participation in the fair Food and Hotel China (FHC), which consisted in the preparation of dishes with Chilean Hass avocados by chef, Ricardo González.
United States
When asked about the possible impact of the measures of the new US administration regarding Mexican avocado exports, which could lead to Mexico diverting volumes to other markets, such as the European, Juan Enrique Lazo said that "anything that distorts the current avocado market will cause problems until a readjustment has been made. Obviously, if a supplier as large as Mexico has to divert its exports to other markets, such as Europe, it will have an impact, although I believe that the United States will continue to import Mexican avocados, because it is a product that is consumed more and more among Americans, and there is also plenty of American capital invested in Mexico. What is true is that this will create opportunities for us, because American importers will start looking at us with greater interest."
Furthermore, Lazo recalled that last year the FDA declared avocados as a fruit that improves the health of the heart, thus allowing the use of labelling that highlights this attribute.
It should be noted that the US market is the third most important destination for Chilean avocados, with about 26 thousand tonnes.
Source: SimFRUIT
