Growers in the Colombian department of Caldas will soon be shipping Hass avocados to the European market, after reaching an agreement with Wolf & Wolf Latín América to send 500 metric tons (MT) of the fruit until December, 2014.

This expected volume is only just shy of the 600MT shipped in the country's first export campaign in 2012-13, with the department of Antioquia to the north of Caldas leading the way to date.

A release from the Colombian Horticultural Association (Asohofrucol) said the agreement was signed between the company, grower association APATEX from the municipality of Marquetalia, and ARACATE representing growers in the municipalities of Aránzazu, Salamina and Merced.

Volumes are expected to grow year-on-year in line with the crop's dynamics and the possible inclusion of other grower groups that meet requirements, such as registration with the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) and GlobalG.A.P. certification.

"This achievement allows for the possibility to export Hass variety avocados from Caldas to European markets, ensuring a fair price for the grower through a philosophy of building win-win business," ASOHOFRUCOL Caldas coordinator Eduardo Montes said in a release.

Wolf & Wolf expects to reach annual shipments of 1,000 containers, weighing 20MT each, by 2017.

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