"Hass avocado volumes have remained stable these past few weeks, but they're mostly smaller sizes (20 to 32)," says Elena Rogojnikova of The Greenery. "Arrivals from Chile in November were still surprisingly high (34% of total exports to Europe). Israel, where volumes keep rising despite the situation (24% of total exports) follows. Volumes from Colombia (18% of total exports) continued increasing, too. It has the most small sizes."
"Morocco has slightly less (seven percent of the total European export) than forecast, mainly smaller sizes. That is as much as Mexico. Despite avocado prices declining in the United States, so far, not many more Mexican avocados are coming to Europe. Also, demand is still lagging, probably because of the higher prices. The large sizes are under the most pressure, but prices for the 12/18 sizes are fairly stable. Prices for the smaller sizes (20-32) have begun dropping," explains Elena.
Spain is having a challenging Hass avocado season. The lack of rain early in the season in the Malaga region means those trees are not bearing enough fruit. "Fortunately, some avocados are coming from the Cadiz and Huelva regions. That makes up for that shortage. Chilean Hass avocado arrivals should start decreasing in week 48. Due to local holidays, moderate volumes are expected. Moroccan export volumes are limited because their avocados are smaller than expected. That's despite the season having started earlier than usual."
"The same goes for Spain. The Israeli avocado exports are as high as ever, but there, too, small sizes prevail. Chile's avocado season ends in December," says Rogojnikova. "Then Spain, Morocco, and Israel take over. Availability issues mean prices for coarse-sized Hass avocado (12-18) remain stable. Small sizes are under somewhat more pressure."
She says Greenskin avocado volumes are stable. "Those from Israel - despite the situation in the Middle East - keep rising. The Ettinger season ended this week and will be succeeded by Pinkertons, which will continue until mid-March. We're expecting plenty of Israeli Pinkerton of all sizes. Bacon and Fuerte represent Spain on the Greenskin avocado market. Those are usually cheaper than the Pinkertons. Greenskins prices should generally stay stable," Elena concludes.
For more information:
Elena Rogojnikova
The Greenery
Mob: +31 (0) 652 647 600
Email: e.rogojnikova@thegreenery.com