This summer saw increased volumes of avocados from Peru, this was due to a combination of new plantations coming into production and the biennial cropping nature of the trees.
“There was an increase of around 20% on last year,” according to Mark Everett, Business Unit Director – Avocados at Worldwide Fruit. “This meant we were able to extend our Peruvian supply into November before we moved on to the Chilean supply.”
The main origins currently supplying the UK and Europe are Chile, Israel, Mexico and Colombia with smaller volumes from Morocco and Spain. According to Mark demand is slow in Europe at the present time because a lot of European countries are under stricter Covid restrictions with curfews imposed, meaning people are eating out less.
“In the UK sales volumes remain stable in a category that has seen some price deflation this year and a general move back to ‘Ready to Eat’ lines compared to last year when people tended to visit the retailers less frequently and purchase lines with longer life.”
“Shipping has had it’s challenges but in general have been manageable this year, as we are now getting used to the delays. We tend to keep a buffer of stock to help us deal with delays. Supply from South Africa was much better than last year and this meant less issues with quality on arrival.
“Chile is a bit more complicated, we had some containers left on the quayside in Chile and vessels not stopping at the port. Shipping in general has been less reliable and booking container collections well in advance is now required.”
Mark said there will be a slight up-lift going towards Christmas, but demand for avocados remains fairly stable.
For more information:
Mark Everett
Worldwide Fruit
Tel: +44 1775 717019
mark.everett@worldwidefruit.co.uk
www.worldwidefruit.co.uk