Total Chilean avocado exports in 2020 are expected to approach year-ago levels, but a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals volumes shipped to the U.S. have been declining as other markets gain share.
With Chilean avocado harvest and shipments peaking between October and December, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report predicts total Chilean avocado exports will reach 145,000 metric tons in 2020, unchanged from 2019.
Top markets for Chilean avocados in 2019 were Netherlands (45% of total exports), United Kingdom (15%), Argentina (10%) and China (8%). Exports to the U.S. in 2019 totaled about 15,000 metric tons, or about 10% of Chile’s total exports.
That total was down from about 25,000 metric tons shipped to the U.S. in 2018, or about 20% of Chile’s total avocados exports that year. Total planted area of Chilean avocados is stable at near 75,000 acres, according to the report.
