Hass avocado shipments from Colombia surged in the first three months of this year to reach 2,500 metric tons (MT), with export values to the European Union up 15% on the whole 2014 campaign.

The US$4.6 million result has prompted positive expectations for the second quarter from the Ministry of Agriculture, which in a release highlighted 99% of shipments went to the EU with the Netherlands, the U.K., Spain and France as the leading destinations.

Colombia's season runs from late December to April and is supplemented by a smaller season from June to August. The country is the world's fifth-largest avocado grower accounting for 5.7% of global production, however its mark on global trade is minimal and Hass production is still in the early growth stages.

But with a bit of avocado bravado through U.S. negotiations and aggressive plantings, Colombia has potential to become a major player in the years to come.

"We are making great efforts to generate opportunities for Colombian agriculture overseas. Hass avocados are going well in trade and prices, and we trust that they could get to export volume similar to flowers, bananas and coffee," Agriculture Minister Aurelio Iragorri Valencia said in the release.

The minister said bilateral agricultural talks had taken place in recent weeks with the European Union to analyze trade and health admissibility issues, and it was clear Colombia had "all the possibilities" of widening its export ties with the old continent.

"With countries the issue of trade admissibility works like 'help me and I'll help you' or 'block me and I'll block you', so if we make the most of the opportunities when countries ask us for admissibility and at the same time deal with our interests, the process will be much easier," Irragori Valencia said.

As part of negotiations to gain U.S. market access, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) is carrying out a series of training programs for Hass avocado growers.

"The goal is that small to large growers of avocados be aware of integrated business management of their properties and the need to implement good agricultural practices, as well as a continuous and thorough crop monitoring to detect and control pests," added Plant Protection assistant director Carlos Alberto Soto.

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