Exports of Peruvian avocados rose by 8 per cent in value between January and April this year despite the fact that no shipments were made to the US, where the first arrivals from Peru will be received this summer.
According to the Peruvian Exporters Association (Adex), exports reached US$23.8m during the January-April period, up slightly on the US$22m recorded during the year-earlier period.
The Peruvian avocado industry is currently waiting for US authorities to approve a work plan proposed by the Peruvian Agrarian Health Service (Senasa) before exports to the US get underway.
A pest control system must also be put in place across Peru, Adex said, in accordance with regulations set by the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS).
Meanwhile, members of Peru’s Hass Avocado Producers’ Association (ProHass) are developing a study to show that Peruvian avocados are not hosts of fruit fly.
The bulk of Peru’s avocado shipments to date this year have been received by the Netherlands and Spain, according to Adex, which combined represented more than 84 per cent of the volume.
Other major markets included France and the UK, followed (to a lesser extent) by Belgium, Morocco, Chile, Costa Rica, Brazil and Canada, among others.
