A rising proportion of Colombian avocado growers with international certifications helped the industry significantly increase its exports during the recently ended season. 

A representative of nursery company and producer Agrícola y Vivero Guacamayas told www.freshfruitportal.com the last container had been shipped on April 13, marking the end of a campaign that saw export volumes jump by around a half.

"I would estimate that the number of exported containers was around 180-185, with 20 metric tons (MT) in each," said company owner Juan Camilo Ruiz.

"I believe the majority was destined for Europe, entering the Netherlands, France and England.

"Undoubtedly the exports grew significantly. I would say that last year we managed around 100-120 containers, and now we're around 180."

According to Ruiz, the growth can largely be attributed to the fact more growers had obtained the GlobalG.A.P. certification, and he hoped many more would gain it within a short time.

"In Colombia we could produce a lot more avocados, and in fact the amount of fruit is on the up, but we have quite a big limitation in that many producers have not obtained the GlobalG.A.P. certification, which is always rather costly. In addition, there's not really the Global G.A.P. culture here," he said.

"When people see the price difference between the domestic and international markets, the certification will become much more popular, and consequently our exports will increase too."

A year ago, the local government of Colombia's Antioquia region announced it would invest more resources into boosting the avocado sector, promoting knowledge, production, and consumption of the Hass variety.

"The government allocated a large amount of resources for at least 20 producers to obtain the GlobalG.A.P. certification," Ruiz said.

"This objective was achieved, and there are many others who have been trained in good agricultural practices - one of the certification's first steps."

"There's a chance that for the 2015-16 harvest more people will be in the process of certification."

The regional government's 'Eat More Hass' initiative is nearing its first year since its implementation, and Ruiz was optimistic about the campaign's future.

"It's very hard to measure the results of the initiative, but I think that every day it is advancing, via videos being posted, messages on the radio, on the TV, and the posting of recipes - both in video and written format," he said.

"So it's hard to gauge at the moment but I believe it will continue growing. I believe it is something that requires perseverance."

Antioquia exports the largest amount of avocados in Colombia, reportedly shipping around 118-120 last season. The area is also said to have around 50% of the Hass production land in the whole country, or some 4,000-5,000 hectares.

"As we manage to increase the GlobalG.A.P. certifications, I think we could boost export volumes much more," Ruiz said.

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