Avocado consumption in Argentina is still relatively low compared to its neighbor Chile, but it has been growing steadily year after year. Several years ago, Argentina began producing Hass avocados in the north of the country, mainly in Tucumán, Salta, and Jujuy, and even exported fresh avocados to Europe and Chile. However, while some Hass avocados are still produced domestically (along with other local varieties), most of the avocados sold in Argentina are imported.

Where does it come from? Argentina has a stable supply thanks to its three main sources, which provide avocados during different production periods: Chile (September to March), Brazil (February to May), and Peru (May to August). Chilean and Peruvian avocados enter the country through the Andes Mountains, via Mendoza, which is the main entry point, while Brazilian avocados enter through eastern Argentina. There are also smaller imports from Mexico and Colombia.

Although Argentina is not yet a large-volume market, it continues to grow each year. It is projected that by 2025, the imported volume will reach nearly 2,000 truckloads/containers, which would be the best year to date. Price and volume stability throughout the year has been key to maintaining consumption and ensuring product quality.

In a conversation with Miguel Bauzá of Don Jaime in Mendoza, Argentina still has significant growth potential. For example, one area for improvement is the marketing of ripe avocados in supermarkets, as they are currently sold primarily green. In markets like the US and Europe, suppliers ripen the fruit before delivering it to supermarkets, which significantly increases consumption.

Today, there are many avocado importing and trading companies in Argentina, and Mendoza and Buenos Aires are the most important cities receiving these imports. Buenos Aires is the main consumer market, while Mendoza is a strategic location for distribution throughout the country and serves as the gateway for fruit arriving via the Pacific (Chile, Peru, Mexico, Colombia).

Everything seems to indicate that Argentina will be an excellent market in the coming years, not only in terms of volume, but also in terms of demand for medium and small-sized avocados. This will be beneficial for South American exporters, who will be able to place different sizes of avocados in various markets.

Sebastian de la Cuadra Infante, CEO of Avobook, sdelacuadra@avobook.com