Chinese importer Lantao International and major global avocado grower-packer-shipper Mission Produce launched the China Avocado Congress last week.
Held in Guangzhou on 28 July, the conference brought together more than 200 wholesalers, distributors, retailers and other industry stakeholders to discuss market development for avocados in China.
China’s avocado imports have begun to take off in the past few years, and Lantao has been playing a pioneering role to develop the trade together with Mission Produce. In the 12 months to May 2016, China’s import volumes surged to reach almost 20,000 tonnes, 157 per cent up on the previous year. Mexico remained by far the leading supplier, with more than 70 per cent of sendings, Chile made up 28 per cent while there were early trial shipments from Peru.
Lantao president John Wang spoke at the event, providing a review of the development of avocado imports over the past four years. “We invest great importance in the experience of every avocado consumer, and this is why we decided to host this congress,” he explained. “We hope to provide professional knowledge to consumers on how to pick, store and eat avocados. ”
Wang added that China’s first avocado ripening facility will be completed in Shanghai in September, with a goal to provide ready-to-eat avocados to the majority of Chinese consumers. Educating consumers on how to eat avocados will also be a key focus for Lantao in the future, he added.
Mission Produce’s director of global grower relations Keith Barnard, director of global operations Ben Barnard, and Tommy Padilla, Asia sales manager, all spoke at the China Avocado Congress, covering various subjects including production, picking, packing, transportation. They discussed the Lantao-Mission Produce partnership in China and their market development strategy in depth.
Padilla told Asiafruit that the Mexican crop would have a smaller size curve for the 2016/17 season. “Fruit looks to be peaking on counts 30 and 35 instead of the 24s (5.6kg pack) we mainly had last year,” he said. “That’s after we spent a lot of time and effort to persuade the market to accept larger fruit. But the Chinese market has traditionally preferred 60s and 70s, so it should actually work out well for us.”
Padilla confirmed that the Chinese market for Hass avocados had really taken off in the last three or four years, but cautioned that shippers needed to be careful not to oversupply the market.
“It’s early in the new season and only around 20 to 25 container loads are being shipped weekly,” he told Asiafruit. “The market can probably handle between 30 to 35 loads per week and continue to be stable.
“Last season, there was too much fruit getting shipped sometimes because lots of new importers with no experience handling avocados jumped in on the deal. That made for a wide range of (market) prices at times.”
