Valencian farmers seek to protect local avocado from overseas competition

The area planted with avocado in the Valencian Community increased by 33.6% last year and today reaches more than 2.800 hectares and provides a production of approximately 4.000 tons per year.

Avocado is indeed a crop that is experiencing a boom in recent years in the region, however, professionals fear that the so-called "green gold" will become another fruit that will lose its profitability shortly, as it happened to persimmon. 

It is because, despite the high volume of domestic harvest, the large distribution chains continue to import the Hass avocado from South America (where it is native), instead of collecting the Lamb Hass, the variety that is grown in 70% of the fields of the region.

At this time of the Lamb Hass season, which is at the end of its harvest stage, there are still unharvested fields due to the abundance of foreign supply. This is not the case only for avocados, but also for other fruits and vegetables produced in the community, such as citrus fruits, according to the Valencian Association of Farmers (AVA).

Another fact that threatens the sector is the negative trend in the price of the fruit. If until now the fruit was sold for more than 3 euros per kilo, the price this season is already below 2 euros.

Avocado from Spain has a very low market share in Europe (10-15%), where imports from South America are prioritized, and maintaining this share of sales and preventing the price from falling further "would already be quite an achievement.", say AVA-Asaja, an organization that defends the interests of Valencian farmers and ranchers.

To protect the production of avocados in the community, AVA and the Association of Avocado Producers (ASOPROA), call for the unity of the entire sector in a new avocado interprofessional in the country.

The objective is to develop a strategy that would differentiate the Spanish avocado from foreign competition, making consumers aware not only of its health benefits and quality, but also of the lower carbon footprint in the case of fewer imports.