With 98% of Peru's shipments to the global market now complete, we can conduct a detailed analysis of this season. Peru is set to export nearly 700,000 metric tons, a 37% increase over last year's exports. A record that surpasses all expectations. A record of records!

As we mentioned in our previous column, consumption in Europe has increased significantly. Europe accounted for 62% of the market for Peruvian avocados, or 425,000 metric tons. And they consumed them all without prices falling as much as they did two or three years ago. This represented a 36% increase in shipments to Europe compared to the previous year, with several weeks exceeding 4.5 million boxes (4 kg equivalent).

I call these cycles investment cycles, specifically investment in consumption. Lower prices mean more people can afford avocados, and that increases future consumption. We're investing in the years to come.

Growth in other markets for Peruvian avocados has also been very significant:

- Japan: +73%

- USA: +54%

- China: +25%

There was also a significant increase in Peruvian exports to Latin America, still led by Chile as the main importer, but also sparking interest in Argentina and other markets.

In summary, demand is keeping pace with the increased supply, which is explained not by new transplants (fields), but by greater efficiency in productivity per hectare and because we finally had a "normal" year from a climatic point of view. There are fields/operations that are easily exceeding 30 metric tons per hectare and continue to improve.

For the next season, we also expect a greater supply due to the current flowering levels in the fields. We need to continue with promotions in different markets and keep working in the fields to extend the harvest window.

Congratulations to all the sales teams of the different companies who have done a magnificent job in this challenging year.

Let's get ready for the 25/26 season!

Alfredo Lira Chirif, Peru alfredo@agroleal.pro