Taking a virtual tour of the avocado fields in Peru, from north to south, we present an update on the 24/25 campaign.

Starting with Olmos and the recent water problems, which are thankfully showing improvement, these have had a partial impact on crops. Some fields did not receive their full irrigation water on certain days during the last eight weeks, especially those without access to wells or reservoirs. Although the effect is minor, it exists and will need to be measured once the physiological fall is complete. The Hass avocado harvest is scheduled to begin between the last week of March and the first week of April, while the green-skinned varieties will begin a month earlier. We hope that the rains in the higher elevations of Olmos will stabilize so we can work more effectively.

In the north, in La Libertad and Chavimochic, the situation varies. Some fields have good fruit set, while others have less favorable results. Currently, the physiological fruit drop will determine both the quantity and size of the fruit. Less fruit retained by the tree usually results in larger sizes, a characteristic that agronomists take advantage of to compensate for the weight per hectare when the expected production is not reached.

On the central coast and in the Ica region, we observed less fruit compared to the previous year, which was a high-production "ON" year. Now, this area is facing its "OFF" year, which doesn't necessarily mean a bad harvest, but rather a smaller one compared to the 2023/2024 season.

In the highlands, volumes will continue to increase thanks to new orchards coming into production. This early fruit generally fetches good prices, despite competing with Colombian production, as the quality of Peruvian avocados is a key differentiating factor.

In summary, we project a 2024/25 season with volumes similar to or slightly higher than the previous year. A significant increase in total kilos is not expected, but we are confident that supply will be better organized throughout Peru's export window, with more consistent volumes during our summer thanks to production from the highlands.

Alfredo Lira Chirif, Peru alfredo@agroleal.pro