The Spanish avocado harvest was not characterized by high yields this year, although the great confluence of origins in the markets is making buying and selling operations go slowly, so the campaign could end up being a little longer than usual.
"Although the demand started off strongly in January, it is currently calmer. We are in holiday periods in some countries, and there are still severe Covid-related restrictions in other countries, although we hope it will pick up again in March," says Óscar Ramírez, manager of the Malaga-based company TrÓpico Spain.
However, the markets do have an abundant supply from many countries. "Israel's supply is higher this year, especially due to the effects of the dry season, while Colombia's volumes continue to grow significantly every year due to the large number of new plantations and it is becoming an increasingly important player in Europe. Furthermore, we have avocados from Spain, Morocco, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Kenya... Each origin has different costs and qualities, which causes some market distortion and confusion among buyers," he says.
According to Óscar Ramírez, Spanish fruit is presented, within its marketing window, as a local European product and, therefore, as one with a lower carbon footprint and superior quality, as it has spent more time on the tree. "Most of our fruit-ripening customers say that Spanish avocados achieve the best results," says Óscar Ramírez.
TrÓpico Spain handles its own mango and avocado production in Malaga, as well as that of contracted growers, to whom they offer technical assistance in all handling operations. They are also involved in importing to ensure a continuous supply throughout the year.
"About a year ago, we started working together with the company PALTAVO to manufacture avocado sauces and pulp, and these have been well-received by the market. We are ripening more and more fruit and therefore the volumes of fruit discarded for fresh marketing are growing. We believe that it is necessary to add value to this fruit, avoiding food waste. Even what is left over from making sauces, such as skins and pits, is used for other by-products. Nothing is wasted," says Óscar Ramírez.
An issue that Malaga's producers are increasingly concerned about is the lack of water resources to remain the largest avocado producers in Spain. The manager of this company says that "it is quite a big problem and one that does not seem to be talked about enough. Some growers are removing leaf mass from the trees to reduce the need for water, although this will affect future productions. In fact, this year's calibers have generally been smaller because of the lack of irrigation in a year of extreme drought. Volumes could be even lower next season."
For more information:
Óscar Ramírez
TrÓpico Spain
+34 951 237 966
[email protected]
tropicospain.com
