According to statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the country is Mexico's leading supplier of pears as it supplies approximately 90% of all the pears that Mexico imports. Argentina, Chile, and China supply the rest.
In the 2019/2020 campaign, Mexico imported 83,815 tons of pears, a lower volume than in the previous campaign because of the large volumes of remaining stock it had. The main imported variety was the Anjou pear with an 83.7% share. It was followed by the Bartlett variety with 10.5%, and by the Bosc pear with 4.9%.
The US export season for Anjou pears goes from September to July, and for Bartlett pears from August to February, with supplies available year-round due to cold storage facilities.
Consumption
According to USDA forecasts, since Mexicans consume 0.8 kilograms of pear a year per capita, the country will import 81,470 tons of pears in the 2020/2021 season.
Mexico is a price-sensitive fruit market, and pear consumption depends significantly on price and the availability of other fruits, such as apples.
American pears are gaining more visibility and space in supermarkets as marketing campaigns and favorable prices entice consumers to buy more pears. In fact, sales are mainly concentrated in the supermarkets and hypermarkets sector, which normally account for 75% of all retail sales of this fruit.
Mexican consumers prefer US pears because of their quality, perceived value for money, and year-round availability due to Mexico's cold storage infrastructure.
Source: opportimes.com