This week, the downward pressure on harvest volumes of our beloved Hass avocados is becoming more evident. #avocadosfromcolombia. The trees are speaking, and the market is listening: exporters' purchase offers are adjusting upwards week by week, with average prices now hovering around and exceeding COP 4,000 at the farm gate.

Baby avocados remain scarce, dry matter production continues to advance steadily, and overall, the market outlook for the coming weeks in Europe is positive. Europe remains receptive, with orderly demand and room for well-ripened fruit. Meanwhile, in the United States, importers continue to focus on Mexican avocados, and for now, there are few signs that Colombian fruit will make a strong entry and command good prices by the end of the main season, especially since the off-season harvest doesn't appear particularly meaty.

We'll have to see how the main 2025-2026 season ends up, and above all, how we capitalize on the lessons learned—yes, the inevitable nagging from Mom—from previous years: fruit quality, improved harvesting and post-harvest practices, and that perfect dry matter content that our avocados crave when they reach the market. I continue to emphasize that the producer is the most vulnerable link in the chain and that protecting their profitability isn't just empty rhetoric, but a strategic necessity. If the producer isn't happy, we're doomed.

It continues to rain in Colombia… and heavily. The water continues to dictate the rhythm of agriculture, and its impacts on flowering, plant health, and logistics will need to be monitored.

And watch out, the Peruvian avocado boom is already starting to be felt. Yesterday, at the WAO meeting, we were told that Peru will continue to grow at rates close to 15% annually in 2026 and 2027, on track to produce one million metric tons. So, as an industry, we'd better prepare to see many more people eating avocados if we want global consumption to keep pace with that supply. This is a developing story.

Next week I'll tell you more about what I'm seeing at the Berlin fair, and we'll see how creative we Colombians get, from production to marketing, to continue defending our fruit's place in the world.

Jorge Molina Duque
Operations Manager, Quality Studio CO
jorge.molina@qualitystudio.cl
Colombia