Peruvian avocado
In 2012, the Avocado Committee and a large number of avocado producers opposed the entry of Peruvian avocados into our market. They based their opposition on the Sun Blotch system, but it didn't work. The same thing happened in California with the entry of Chilean and Mexican avocados into the USA. But in the end, the market prevailed, proving the saying that when something is scarce in one place, it will appear from somewhere else.
Currently, the market is concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere and, in the future, in Latin American domestic markets where avocados have been consumed for generations, but with green skin. The Hass avocado's entry into the domestic markets of Peru, Colombia, and Brazil, especially São Paulo, has been later and experienced slow initial growth, but it shows great promise for the future given the large populations of these countries.
Due to the constant growth of the global avocado market, Peruvian avocados are no longer a threat to the business; on the contrary, they help fill a window of increased supply, lowering prices and attracting new consumers. In the 1980s, avocado consumption was seasonal in Chile and California due to a lack of supply during the fall and winter months, leading to a decline in consumption that was difficult to revive later.
Peruvian avocados are currently very important to our domestic market, injecting a significant volume during the months when Chile has almost no domestic production. The Chilean palate is sophisticated because it is accustomed to a different product, well-finished and with good post-harvest shelf life, and can even distinguish the flavor of different varieties. With Peruvian avocados, everything changed; the product was different, and it took time to learn how to consume it. Due to the warm conditions in Peru, the fruit grows under greater stress, often affecting the embryo prematurely. This causes the release of ethylene, and the fruit begins to change color without reaching optimal oil levels, forcing an accelerated harvest where first, second, and third-stage fruit are picked simultaneously. In other countries, the fruit is harvested gradually based on size, waiting for larger, higher-quality fruit to be picked at higher prices in subsequent batches, thus improving fruit uniformity.
It can be categorically stated that Peruvian avocados from warmer climates have a different shelf life and should be consumed quickly. Chilean avocados ripen to 100% black, softening gradually over a period of 7 to 25 days depending on the temperature. In contrast, if Peruvian avocados are expected to be 100% black, they are very likely to have browning, fungal growth, and stem mold. This necessitates consuming them when they still have some green tinges and are not as soft as the Chilean variety to minimize spoilage.
It's worth noting that Peru is very large and also has cold regions where very high-quality produce is grown. In the dry highlands of Arequipa, Moquegua, and Tacna, there are valleys that produce some of the best fruit in Peru. The Majes-Siguas Project, currently inactive, could bring thousands of hectares of high-quality land under water to cultivate fruit in cold regions with good post-harvest shelf life, thus expanding the supply of higher-quality Peruvian fruit.
Gonzalo Vargas
