California-based avocado marketer Index Fresh has said that it is excited for the Peruvian avocado campaign, with fruit coming
to market starting late May.
The global avocado group said that the Peruvian season starts at the end of May, and continues through until early September, with peak volumes in July and August.
“Index Fresh has been working in Peru even before they had access to the US market, and Peruvian fruit has played a key role in our summer marketing since the beginning,' explained Giovanni Cavaletto, vice-president of sourcing at Index Fresh. 'We’re excited for this season and it looks like it’ll be a good summer for all growers from all countries.
'This is the tenth year of Index Fresh working with Peruvian avocados,' he continued. 'With the growing significance of avocados in Peru, it is projected that over the next five years of production, it will be close to a billion pounds, which will place them as a very important source of summer fruit.
“There will be a little less Peruvian volume than last year in the US market because it’s a slightly off year for the country, as last year was an on year for growing,” Cavaletto explained. 'While working with Peru growers, Index Fresh puts focus on offering value-added programs including ripening, bagging, and RPC’s.
“Peru is shipping out 165m pounds [of avocado] to the US, that’s 20-25 per cent of their crop,' he added. 'Europe remains their prime destination for avocados. On an annual basis, Peru represents around 8 per cent of the avocados sold in the US. During peak Peru season that number goes up to 25 per cent, making them an important supplier June-August.'
