Mexico looks to gain an even larger share of the avocado market in the US for the coming season, according to predictions from local importers.
Volume will be up as more Mexican orchards are certified to export the fruit to the US, while California’s avocado crop looks set to be smaller in 2014.
Rob Wedin of Calavo Growers says there should be more Hass avocados available for export from Mexico to the US over the next 12 months.
“The reason being is that there are more groves getting certified for the US market every year as well as new acreage maturing across the board, particularly in Mexico’s Michoacán state,” Rob Wedin of Calavo Growers told Americafruit.
“Demand in the Mexican domestic market continues to increase as well but it’s being supplied primarily by production from sources outside of Michoacán that are not certified for our market so that simply frees up more fruit for the US.”
Meanwhile, after two successive years of strong production the California avocado industry is expecting a significantly lower crop in 2014.
“California should finish the current season (2013) at about 490m lbs,” said Jim Donovan of Mission Produce.
“Early guesses around the industry are for a crop of about 325-350m lbs in 2014. So Mexico will make up the bulk of the 100-150m lbs needed to meet the 1.7bn lbs of built-in US market demand.”
Consumption of Hass avocados is exploding in North America. According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), US consumers are devouring avocados of all varieties at a pace of 5 pounds (lbs) or 2.27kg per capita during 2013, more than double the 2.2lbs consumed in 2000.
Total avocado distribution within the US during 2013 is approaching 1.7bn lbs (771,000 tonnes) and is expected to climb to well over 2bn lbs (907,000 tonnes) within two years.
Today, 70 per cent of the avocados consumed in the US is imported, with approximately 65 per cent of the total arriving from Mexico.
