Avocado imports from third countries have caused the price of the Valencian product to fall, as is usually the case with other crops.
According to La Unió Llauradora, the price of the Lamb Hass avocados from the Valencia Region, the most widely planted variety, has fallen this season by more than 29%, from an average of 2.44 euros/kg in March 2024 to just 1.73 euros/kg in March of this year.
Much of that decline is due to increased imports. The latest data available, corresponding to January 2025, put the growth at 68%, and if Morocco is considered, it reaches 89%.
In January, 14,187 tons of avocados arrived in Spain from the neighboring country alone. It's worth noting that Peru and Chile, the other two countries from which imports mainly arrive, are currently in the counter-season. Hence, their figures are not relevant at the moment because they are insignificant.
In 2024, Spain imported 262,071 tons of avocados, 8% more than in the previous year.
According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Valencian Community has 3,994 hectares of avocado (2,205 hectares in the province of Valencia, 1,121 hectares in the province of Castellón, and 668 hectares in the province of Alicante), which accounts for 18.75% of the total area devoted to this crop in Spain.
Producers are also concerned about the continuous theft of this fruit, which attracts criminals due to its high price. Thus, La Unió is asking authorities to strengthen controls and surveillance.
Another challenge for the sector is to improve its research on irrigation, fertilization, and productive agronomic management in terms of varieties, patterns, and cultivation techniques to improve its productivity and adapt to the challenges of climate change.
La Unió also believes that producers should harvest the Lamb Hass variety at its optimum point of ripeness, which is usually achieved around this time of the year. Harvesting it before is counterproductive because the fruit does not have the same organoleptic qualities as the ripe fruit. "There is a dangerous tendency to harvest Lamb Hass as soon as the Hass variety is finished, in mid-March. We must wait a little to harvest it because we are talking about the most cultivated variety, and we must maintain a good quality," the organization stated.
La Unió believes that avocado is an emerging crop in the Valencian countryside that needs to be supported by the authorities. They're also asking Valencian consumers to opt for local avocados.
For more information:
Aldemar Boix
La Unió
Tel.: +34 620 76 63 85
Email: [email protected]
https://launio.org