The increase in avocado supply, both internally and externally, has caused a significant decrease in the value of Mexican avocado exports for the most important sporting event of the year in the United States, the Super Bowl.
According to data from Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas (GCMA), the price of 32-caliber Hass avocado shipped from Mexico to the United States in December 2021 was US$4.67 per kilogram and for the same month in 2022 was US$1.97, a decrease of 58 percent.
In January 2022 the average price was 4.79 dollars per kilogram and so far in January of this year it registers a price of 1.86 US dollars per kilo, that is, a 61 percent drop in price.
Juan Carlos Anaya, CEO of GCMA, points out that this drop in avocado prices is due to a greater supply in the markets.
“This is due to a greater supply from other countries (Colombia, Peru, Costa Rica) that are already exporting large quantities of avocado to the US,” he said.
For Mexico, the last weeks of December and the month of January are key periods to increase avocado exports to the neighboring country.
The president of the Association of Avocado Producers and Packers Exporters of Mexico (APEAM), Jose Luis Gallardo, said that last year they had very good prices because there was a weather situation where more than 300 thousand tons were lost due to frost, however, this year prices are worrying producers.
To face this drop in prices, growers will try to send more avocados to the United States this week, because according to their own estimates they could be sending more than 140 thousand tons.
“All of us who are involved, producers and packers, are worried about the low prices, but I believe that this will be fixed, it will recover. Easter is coming, where we are starting to see more avocado flow and I believe that the best avocado prices will return,” he said in an interview with EL FINANCIERO.
He commented that in these five weeks to date 134 thousand tons have been exported and they expect to send some 10 thousand or 15 thousand tons of avocado this week to complete and reach February 12, the day of the Super Bowl.
“The important thing is that the Super Bowl has been extended for another week, since we will have higher volumes. Prices are not giving us enough, but right now we are trying to relieve the pressure and have this product available, which is so successful with U.S. consumers,” said José Luis Gallardo.
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