Demand for Mexican avocados in Asia is showing healthy growth so far this season, according to industry reports.
Mexican avocado body Apeam told Fruitnet that exports to China have doubled so far this year, and shipments to Japan are up by 20 per cent over the prior-year period.
“We believe the increase is being driven by strong promotional efforts along with increased awareness about the health benefits of avocados,” Ramon Paz Vega, strategic advisor to Apeam, said. “As the world’s largest producer of avocados, Mexico is well positioned to support the needs of the growing Asian markets.”
Leading Mexican avocado shipper out of North America, Mission Produce, said it expects a good market window for Mexican avocados in Asian markets over the coming months.
“The biggest issue right now is managing supply. It is easy for the industry to become over-eager and send too much fruit, causing the market to soften,” Thomas Padilla, Mission Produce director of sales – Asia, told Fruitnet.
“However, weather and fruit quality continue to be an issue. Asian markets require high-quality fruit, and, with an over-abundance of Category II fruit [available], finding enough volume of good quality fruit will be an ongoing issue for the remainder of the season.”
The work stoppage in Mexico at the start of the export season in October had very little impact on Asia, Padilla said.
“At that time, Chile was shipping heavy volume to Asia, filling the market window,” he explained.
“The higher prices from Mexican fruit mainly had an impact on the US market. With Chile filling the late fall/early winter window for Asia, the higher pricing for Mexican fruit had normalised before shipping to Asian markets.'
