Peruvian avocados could fill summer months

The addition of Peru as an avocado exporter to the U.S. could increase the amount of avocados entering the country by close to 10% in the first year alone, sources said.

On Jan. 7, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published a proposed rule that would add Peru to the list of countries permitted to ship hass avocados to the U.S.
 

Comments on the rule may be made until March 9, after which, pending final approval, it will go into effect.

Peruvian avocados will not be required to be treated with hot water, fumigation or other methods unless they test positive for pests, said Melissa O’Dell, public affairs specialist for APHIS.

 

“If all the components of the systems approach are met, then the fruit does not have to be treated in order to be imported into the U.S.,” she said. “However, if a medfly is found in the place of production, then the shipment can still be imported into the US, but must be treated.”

 

The Peruvian Avocado Growers Association estimates about 19,000 metric tons of fruit will be exported to the U.S. in the deal’s first year, should the order be approved.
That would account for about 9% of all avocado exports to the U.S. Currently, about 18% of all hass exports worldwide come from Peru.

Peruvian growers typically harvest avocados from May to September, which could provide a nice marketing window in the U.S., said Ross Wileman, vice president of sales and marketing for Mission Produce Inc., Oxnard, Calif.

 

“I think there are opportunities in the U.S. where California production is down and there are supplies of Mexico, but it’s kind of their off-season,” he said. With the freezes, droughts and other natural disasters that have plagued Southern California in recent years, the summer months Peru could help fill have seen some shortages, Wileman said.

 

The USDA estimates the addition of Peru could lower avocado prices in the U.S. by up to 4%, but Wileman indicated there is plenty of room for extra product.

 

“When Mexico came in, there was a big stir — people said it was the death knell for California,” he said. “But there’s a huge opportunity to grow consumption if there’s a reliable supply year-round.”

For the past three years, Mission has shipped Peruvian-grown avocados into Canada, Wileman said. Fruit has been very well-received there, he said, and no pest findings have been made.