Peru enjoys solid avocado season

The

Peruvian avocado category had a great season this year, said

Xavier Equihua, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Peruvian Avocado Commission. He expects 2017 to be even better.

​The U.S. will receive about 80 million pounds of Peruvian avocados by the time the season winds down by the end of the summer, he said.

"This is just a prelude of things to come," Equihua said.

It was a good year for Peruvian growers because the U.S. and Europe were very attractive markets, he said.

The European Union will receive the lion's share of Peru's avocado exports, about 256 million pounds.

In coming seasons, Equihua expects to see more "valleys," where demand exceeds supply in the summer.

"It's one of the advantages of having such a great product backed by strong promotions," he said.

Demand is especially strong during the summer, when consumption is high and prices tend to be most attractive, he said.

Equihua sees great growth potential for sales to the EU, where consumption about 700 million pounds, compared to about 2.3 billion pounds for the U.S.

"The EU will take more and more fruit, not only from Peru but from all origins," he said.

Asian markets, like China and Japan, are still immature markets but their potential is attractive, he said.

"Nevertheless it will take time and funds to pay for consumer promotions in order to generate the traction that avocados enjoy in the U.S. and the EU," Equihua said.

Escondido, Calif.-based Giumarra Agricom International uses Peruvian avocados during a short window for a couple of programs during the summer, said Gary Caloroso, marketing director.

Some customers say they prefer Peruvian product, mostly because of their larger sizes, he said.

Giumarra was experiencing a sizing issue in midsummer because of smaller-than-usual fruit from Mexico and California, he said.

"Peru always tends to have larger sizes," Caloroso said, "and that helps for customers who want larger fruit."

But Robb Bertels, vice president of sales and marketing for Mission Produce Inc., Oxnard, Calif., said the fruit size out of Peru this season was not always up to its usual size expectations.

With smaller sizing from Peru coupled with small fruit from California and Mexico, there were "a whole lot of 60s and 70s on the market and not a lot of 48s and 40s and larger," he said.

Volume from Peru to the U.S. and Canada was not as great as expected this year, Bertels said.

More was shipped to Europe because of the strong market there, and what did come to the U.S. was already programmed and not available on the open market.

"It goes directly to a specific customer," he said.

Most of avocados from Peru were "predestined before they were shipped," he said.

Bertels added that quality of this season's Peruvian avocados was good.

Phil Henry, president of Henry Avocado Corp. in Escondido, said quality of the Peruvian avocados he has received "has been fine.

He expected shipments to continue well into August.

Equihua said he was pleased with the reception Peruvian avocados received in the U.S. this season.

"Our marketing promotions went very well," he said.

The commission used a variety of marketing tactics to promote the fruit, including "multiple waves of demos" at Wal-Mart and Sam's Club locations.

Equihua expected Peruvian avocados to be available into September, though not in promotable volume.

Supplies were less than expected this year because of El Niño conditions in that country, he said.

"Next year will be a much larger year for Peru," Equihua said.