The Peruvian avocado industry is relatively young, with around 15 years of existence, while its global presence barely reaches eight years. However, a mighty growth has allowed the country to make waves in the sector.

FreshFruitPortal.com reported Jun.15 that ProHass projected a 5% to 10% growth in 2022-23 export volumes. And, while the institution saw a sharp uptick in Asian markets, the estimated 40% increase in shipments to the U.S. was ultimately not achieved.

“One of the positive developments has been the performance of the Asian market, which grew by 60%, mainly in China, Korea and Japan,” says Peru’s ProHass President Juan Carlos Paredes.

The main factor for the drop in U.S. bound shipments, Paredes says, is the huge Mexican supply, which allowed Mexico  to remain  the main avocado exporter in the world. Mexico’s proximity to the U.S. gives it another advantage in terms of logistics.

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“We expected a 40% growth in the U.S. market, as it had been a very profitable destination for us last season, but we ended up decreasing shipments by 20%,” he says.

Paredes cites the “many close ties between importers and Mexican producers”, and the U.S. consumers’ year round supply preference as some of the woes encountered this season by Peruvian exporters.

El Niño’s impact created small sizes of Peruvian fruit, which also stalled exports. He also mentions that past export experiences to the U.S. left a “bad taste” in shoppers' mouths, as fruit quality wasn’t up to par then, scaring  their reputation.

However, the European market, which accounted for 66% of shipments this season, has acquired a taste for Peruvian avocado, where it's deemed a high quality fruit, Paredes says.

Peru’s ProHass officially closed 2022-23’s avocado season in week 42, but some small shipments remained. 

Regarding marketing strategies for the upcoming season, Paredes says that ProHass is working with the Hass Avocado Board.

“The promotional campaign for all the countries that make up the Hass Avocado Board in the U.S. will have a 70 million dollars investment for next season,” he states. 

In 2023, ProHass did 36 campaigns to boost consumption in retail stores.

“The World Avocado Organization (WAO) also has a smaller budget of around $5 million  for marketing, of which Peru will be taking about 70% for campaigns being developed throughout the European summer, which runs from April to August,” Paredes adds.