Mexican Avocado Exports This Season Set for 6% Growth

Mexico is the world’s largest avocado exporter, with approximately three-quarters of these exports heading for the U.S. Recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service published a report forecasting and analyzing the production and trade of Mexican avocados in marketing year (MY) 2020/21 (July–June).

The report forecasts that the production of Mexican avocados will reach 2.41 million metric tons in MY 2020/21, representing a slight increase over MY 2019/20. The total planted and harvested areas of avocados in Mexico are also expected to increase to 243,640 and 232,495 hectares, respectively, corresponding to an average yield of 10.36 tons per hectare.

In recent years, Mexican avocado producers have been striving to improve fruit quality and ensure food safety through concerted and consistent efforts to improve plantation, drainage and post-harvest practices. Avocado production in Mexico is predominantly centered around three varieties, with Hass avocados accounting for the vast majority (97%) of the total crop and the Criollo and Fuerte cultivars making up the remainder.

According to official data from the Mexican government, the country registered an avocado production volume of 2.32 million tons in MY 2019/20. Approximately 76% (963,539 tons) of the avocados exported by Mexico in MY 2019/20 were sent to the U.S., while Canada and Japan, the second- and third-largest overseas markets, only accounted for 7.0% (89,010 tons) and 5.2% (66,150 tons), respectively, of total exports.

In spite of the numerous challenges associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. demand for avocados remains very robust and is anticipated to exhibit further growth. This positive trend is expected to drive the total export volume of Mexican avocados in MY 2020/21 to 1.35 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 6%.

As the first country to gain market access to China for its avocados, Mexico exported 8,881 tons of avocados to China in 2019, accounting for 27.2% of China’s total avocado imports that year. According to data from China Customs, in the first seven months of 2020, Mexico’s share of China’s total avocado imports decreased to 10.7%, with 1,746 tons of Mexican avocados entering China over this period.

The peak harvest season for Mexican avocados typically falls between October and February, with a more limited supply from March to May and exports gradually winding down from June to September.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.