According to data from the Dane analyzed by ProColombia, between January and May 2021, Westfalia Fruit Colombia increased its Hass avocado exports by more than 60% over the same period of the previous year.
In 2012, Westfalia Fruit, a multinational company with headquarters in South Africa and more than 70 years of experience in the fruit industry, made its first shipment of Hass avocado from Colombia to Europe via its subsidiary Westfalia Fruit Colombia. In 2014, the company opted for the Colombian countryside investing in its own farms in the municipality of Sonson, Antioquia.
Today, they have two packing plants in the country, one in Rionegro and the other in Sonson, along with 500 hectares in production and development, in addition to more than 1,500 hectares with their allied producers. In 2020, they exported more than 10,000 tons of Hass avocado.
The company stated that it continued to bet on the country as an export platform: “Colombia is a privileged country. It has the perfect natural conditions and suitable soils for growing avocados. It is the tropical source of Hass avocados worldwide, no other origin has these appropriate growing conditions. Due to these technical reasons, Westfalia Group decided to come and invest in this beautiful biodiverse country. Its natural conditions allow us to grow avocados while respecting the environment, specifically, soils and forests. Sustainable development implies taking care of the environment, communities, and local economies.”
Chile, an interesting market
The firm recently exported its first shipment of avocado to South Korea and it hopes to continue consolidating in the European market. “Westfalia Fruit Colombia is very interested in Chile because the group has a subsidiary with more than 40 years in that market, which could guarantee our supply to various clients. It is a country with high per capita consumption and purchasing power. In addition, transporting the fruit to this destination only takes 7 to 9 days. They consume the calibers that are easily produced in Colombia, and it is a very good option in the cross season,” stated Westfalia Fruit Colombia.
At the end of January 2021, Colombia obtained phytosanitary access to export avocado to Chile, as a result of the sanitary diplomacy strategy deployed by the National Government and headed by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, the Ministry of Agriculture, ICA, Invima, and ProColombia.
It is worth noting that, between January and May of this year, avocado exports from Colombia amounted to 114.3 million dollars, i.e. 87.8% higher than in the same period of last year, according to data from Dane analyzed by ProColombia. The main buyers were the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Argentina, Russia, and Costa Rica.
Source: eje21.com.co