Avocado exports from Spain broke a record in 2021, totaling 464 million dollars, a year-on-year increase of 4.7 percent.
Worldwide, Spain ranks as the fourth largest exporter of avocado, behind Mexico, the Netherlands and Peru.
Looking back, these Spanish foreign sales show an upward trend in value. If the result of 2021 is compared with 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic, they rose 20.5%; if compared to 2011, a decade ago, they increased 171.3 percent.
According to an estimate by Grupo Bancolombia, Spain and South Africa would continue to be relevant in the global avocado trade.
Their projections indicate that these countries, with an average annual growth of 4.6% in the tons exported in the next 15 years, would continue to be relevant in the global trade of this fruit.
The Spanish government also highlighted the rise in the value of avocado exports from Spain, indicating that between 2016 and 2020 these sales rose due to both a 4.1% increase in the average export price, and an advance of 51% in the volume exported.
Avocado exports
The global avocado supply is divided into two seasons. Mexico has established itself as the main avocado exporter in the world, followed by Peru.
Both countries, like the other exporters, have different harvest seasons throughout the year, which determines the dynamics of the supply of this fruit.
In particular, according to Grupo Bancolombia, Mexico’s main export season is winter (September to February) and Peru gains importance in the summer season (March to August).
In the case of Colombia, the winter season is the main export season.
Avocado imports are mostly concentrated in the Hass variety. It is important to highlight that international trade has focused mainly on the Hass avocado given its physical characteristics, greater resistance in transport and the preference of consumers over other avocados, such as the strong and the semi-34, known as green skin.
This has led to nearly 97% of the avocado marketed in the United States (the main importer) being the Hass variety, and in European countries (the second importer) its share is 90 percent.
Some countries, although they are large avocado producers, do not participate significantly in international trade. Mexico is the largest global exporter of avocado, but also the largest producer, with a 31% share (FAO 2019 figures), followed by the Dominican Republic (9%), Colombia (7%), Peru (7%) and Indonesia (6 percent).
