Avocado Trade and International Markets
Avocados are an exotic fruit that has quickly become one of the world’s most popular, prized, and traded foodstuffs. In recent years, avocados have gained large popularity worldwide and captivated important market shares in Europe and North America. Originally from the geographic region currently encompassing southern Mexico and Central America, avocados are now cultivated in tropical and semi-tropical climates throughout North and South America as well as Africa and the Mediterranean. Today, avocados are traded both as a fresh product as well as dried and processed. During 2016, the global trade of avocados (both fresh and dried) accounted for US$4.6 billion, which represents a substantial increase from 2005 when their global trade totaled approximately US$1 billion. In 2016, the largest exporter of avocados, accounting for 51% of global sales, was Mexico with almost US$2.4 billion worth of avocado exports. Simultaneously, that same year, Peru was the second largest exporter of avocados, with 9.9% of global sales or US$460 million worth of produce sold internationally. On a continental scale, South America was the second largest exporter of avocados during 2016, representing 20% of global exports or US$944 million.
Avocado Trade and International Markets
In terms of imports, during 2016, the United States purchased 42% of all avocados sold internationally for a total of almost US$2 billion. The second largest national consumer of avocados in 2016 was the Netherlands, representing 11% or US$513 million of global imports. However, many of the avocados imported into the Netherlands are not necessarily consumed in the country, but rather commercialized throughout other countries of the European Union, such as France and Germany. On a continental scale, Europe was the second largest importer of avocados in 2016, with a 41% share of global imports, valued at US$1.9 billion.
In the specific case of Colombia, during 2016, the South American nation exported US$37.1 million worth of avocados, which equates to 0.8% of global sales. Likewise, that same year, 98% of Colombian avocados were destined to European markets, particularly the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Spain. Nevertheless, the production of Hass avocado in Colombia has increased substantially in recent years, particularly given the fact that last year the USDA cleared the export of Colombian avocados towards the United States. Simultaneously, Colombian producers have been seeking to expand their export markets towards Asia, where a new middle class with purchasing power has an appetite for exotic fruits. Since 2017, Colombian avocado producers have been shipping fresh avocados directly towards Hong Kong, on a weeks-long maritime journey. Pacific Fruits, a company based along Colombia’s Pacific coast valley, and several other Hass-avocado producers send their exports to markets in Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan. It is expected that in upcoming years Colombia’s export destinations for avocados will diversify to include a larger share of North American and Asia markets.