The Commission for the Promotion of Peru for Export and Tourism (Promperu) has reported that Peru has positioned itself as Europe's main supplier of Hass avocado. Peruvian avocado shipments to Europe between January and March 2020 totaled $ 64 million, i.e. 69% more than in the same period of 2019, according to Promperu. Peru is the third-largest exporter of avocado in the world and avocado is one of the country's three main non-traditional export products.
The countries that recorded the highest demand in the first quarter of 2020 were the Netherlands (+ 60.2%), Spain (+ 97.8%), and Russia (+ 250.3%), the public entity stated.
"Despite the pandemic, the population's need to preserve good health has contributed substantially to increase the demand for avocado in Europe. Furthermore, consumers are making their purchases once a week, which has increased the acquisition of this product in meshes for its later maturation," they noted.
According to Promperu, World Fruit -a fruit marketing and distribution company- highlighted the effort that Peruvian exporters have carried out to guarantee the supply of high-quality avocado with sizes that are bigger than that of their competitors, despite the pandemic that affected the normal development of exports.
Promperu stressed that Peruvian exporting companies comply with the security measures established by the Peruvian government for the health emergency and have various certifications.
According to Peru's Association of Hass Avocado Producers (ProHass), the market has grown due to changes in consumption habits in the destination countries. This factor, among others, has created the conditions for exports of this fruit to increase by approximately 25% this year, they stated.
The country is expected to export nearly 360,000 tons of Hass avocado in 2020. Last year, the country exported 290,000 tons; a considerable drop when compared to the 340,000 tons that the country exported in 2018.
"This great growth is due to new investments made in northern Peru, mainly in Olmos, where a lot of avocados were planted in order to extend the campaign," Daniel Bustamante, the president of ProHass, had previously stated.
Source: gestion.pe