The Bacon smooth-skinned avocado harvest began around the end of September in Spain and the Fuerte variety is starting to be harvested. Some farmers are harvesting Hass avocados prematurely, as the harvest is expected to officially start with more consistent volumes in late November or early December.
"We expect to harvest 20 to 25% less Spanish avocado than in the past campaign," stated Jose Antonio Alconchel, CEO of the Alcoaxarquia Group. "It's going to be an uncertain campaign regarding prices. Producers will want to be paid higher prices in the field because of the drop in production and taking into account that production and handling costs have increased by more than 35% in the last year. Meantime, supermarket chains are reluctant to raise sales prices for fear of affecting consumption. In addition, the campaign will end sooner because there is less fruit, so it will be concentrated between December and February."
"At the moment, Spain has smooth-skin green avocados. However, some small farmers have started to harvest the first Hass prematurely. They've done so motivated by prices, which stand at € 2.50 and even € 3.00 per kilo in some specific cases. However, this practice jeopardizes sales in the coming weeks because, even though the Hass avocado already has a 22º level of dry matter, it still does not have a good balance of oil; which means it's still not ripe," stated Jose Antonio Alconchel.
"We, like most professional companies in the sector, will start harvesting it from week 48, when the Hass will be at its optimum point, nearly 2 weeks earlier than last year."
© Alcoaxarquía
The campaign in Peru is almost over and the European markets mainly have avocados from Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. The available supply has fallen. "The shipping companies are making it difficult to import Mexican avocados. There are weeks in which barely any product arrives and other weeks in which too many containers arrive. However, Mexico focuses more on the US market than on Europe.
"At the same time, Chile has had a lower production due to drought issues and Colombia isn't currently in its peak production period. Morocco has also started its harvest, but with lower production. Thus, there won't be a great offer of avocado until at least weeks 49 and 50, when the productions of the aforementioned countries will coincide with the production from Spain, the Dominican Republic -which every year has more Hass avocado- and other origins," stated the CEO of the Alcoaxarquía Group.
Since Peru's campaign ended, sales prices have risen by one euro per kilo and the market has gone from having a saturation of large calibers to having an abundance of small and medium sizes, mostly of calibers 12 and 14.
Grupo Alcoaxarquía produces and markets conventional and organic avocado, mango, and citrus. The firm continues to grow and expand in Spain and Peru, with the next opening of a reception and packaging plant in Valencia and a new packaging plant in northern Peru, where it already has 600 new hectares of organic produce that has been in a period of reconversion in recent years. On October 31, it closed its 2021-2022 year with a 36.5% growth in volumes and turnover. "We implement the same standards of maturation for our avocado in all origins, in order to offer a homogeneous quality and flavor throughout the year," Jose Antonio Alconchel stressed.
For more information:
José Antonio Alconchel 
Alcoaxarquía
M: +34 607396517
T: +34 951 33 39 34
[email protected]
www.alcoaxarquia.com
