Sales of avocados in the US rose by just over 15 per cent in volume last year, well ahead of the overall fresh produce category which grew by around 2 per cent, according to figures compiled by the Perishables Group.
Sales value also increased by roughly 7 per cent in 2009, compared with a 3 per cent decline in the value of total produce sales, the Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers Association of Michoacán, Mexico (APEAM) reported in a newsletter.
By region, avocado sales grew in all five major areas for the fruit, APEAM said, including California (where sales volume rose by 20.7 per cent), Texas (6.5 per cent), South Atlantic (7.8 per cent), E.N. Central (24 per cent), Mid-Atlantic (19.7 per cent) and New England (23.8 per cent).
The association also ensured that Mexican avocado exports to the US this year will remain equal to original expectations despite last month’s storm which brought wind, rain and hail to much of the country, including avocado-growing regions.
“While the industry projects that some of the acreage was impacted, as the largest supplier of avocados to the US, growers in Mexico are committed to supplying quality fruit year-round and helping their customers continue to grow their avocado sales for years to come,” explained APEAM marketing director Emiliano Escobedo.
The organisation’s spring avocado campaign is now well underway, with intense radio, television, online, in-store promotions, in print and merchandising efforts aiming to build demand in key target markets, including Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Chicago, Nevada and Arizona.
