"The success of Peruvian avocados"

Peru produces large volumes of avocado throughout the whole year. Before, the country had avocado seasons, but nowadays it produces avocados from January to December. The highest production volumes take place in July, August, September, and October, when there can even be an overproduction. The main buyers of avocado are the United States and China, but thanks to its role as market leader, many other destinations, such as Spain, France and Germany, have now opened their doors to this nutritional product.

Some customers have stopped buying Mexican avocados and started buying Peruvian avocados. One of the reasons is that Mexico sells its avocado by calibers and by kilos. Peru sells avocados calibers 12 to 24, and all the boxes have the same price. The country sells its 28 to 32 gauges, which also have a single price, to China.

At the beginning of the year, the calibers obtained were smaller than normal due to the El Niño phenomenon, which didn't affect all the regions in the same way.

"Importers don't buy products that they don't know how to eat. It is true that the Chinese were not familiar with the avocado, but now they are beginning to know it and to discover its uses," said Jorge Lazo, the general manager of Imperio Export Sac. "In fact, China is currently the second largest importer of avocado from Peru, as it purchased 380 billion dollars last year." China buys large quantities because of the products benefits. In addition to China, South Korea and Singapore, with whom Peru has free trade agreements, also import large quantities.

Peru has recently begun to develop avocado oil, which is still not well known, although it has the same nutritional value as the fresh produce. In fact, some customers consume it as a substitute for the fresh product. This oil is mainly for national use, although little by little it is making its way in the international market.

Imperio Export is a company that was founded in 2014 and is associated with the Chamber of commerce of Lima. They export fresh fruits, vegetables and, sometimes, oils. They export a wide range of products grown in Peru, such as pitahaya, avocados, blueberries, and mangoes.