Ecuadorian avocado seeks to reach the Chinese market

September 10, 2026

Following his recent tour of Asia, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced that China has approved the import of Ecuadorian avocados and blueberries, marking a significant step forward that opens new trade opportunities for the country's fruit sector. The announcement was made during an interview with Radio Centro after his visit to China, which focused, among other things, on expanding trade.

The relevance of this opening lies, for now, less in the volume that Ecuador can immediately incorporate into the Chinese market and more in the diversification possibilities for a Hass avocado industry that is still in an expansion stage.

According to Fedexpor data compiled by Forbes Ecuador, the country exported approximately 2,000 tons of avocados in 2025, compared to 3,000 tons the previous year. The value of these shipments reached US$3.5 million, and over the past five years, Ecuadorian avocados have been exported to 31 countries.

Ecuadorian avocado seeks to diversify its destinations

The European avocado market remains the primary market for Ecuadorian Hass avocados. In 2025, the European Union accounted for 74.6% of the export value, equivalent to approximately US$2.6 million. During that same year, Ecuador added Costa Rica, Russia, and Argentina to its export markets.

The eventual incorporation of China would allow for the expansion of that trade base and a gradual reduction in dependence on a single bloc, although the current scale of the Ecuadorian sector remains small compared to other Latin American suppliers.

The difference is clearly seen when comparing regional flows. Peru exported 43,365 tons of Hass avocados to China during 2025, according to figures from ProHass, a volume more than twenty times greater than all Ecuadorian avocado exports recorded that same year.

Therefore, Ecuador's entry would hardly alter the supply structure of the Chinese market in the short term. Its importance could lie, instead, in beginning to build a commercial position within Asia while increasing the country's production capacity.

A window that could open new opportunities

Ecuador concentrates a large part of its commercial window between September and the end of April, a period that the sector identifies as one of its main advantages for accessing international markets.

Currently, Agrocalidad estimates that there are approximately 8,200 hectares of avocado orchards in Ecuador, of which about 3,000 are Hass avocados. Corpoaguacate projects that this area could reach 10,000 hectares by 2036, reflecting the growth expectations of an industry that is still far from the scale of the major regional exporters.

The existing trade relationship between Ecuador and China also provides a favorable context for the search for new products. During the first half of 2026, China was the main destination for Ecuadorian non-oil exports, with US$3,584.9 million and a 24.5% share.

The opening of trade still needs to be translated into cash flow

The presidential announcement marks progress, but the next stage will be to determine under what conditions trade can effectively begin.

Publicly available information from Agrocalidad states that the export of fresh avocados must comply with the specific phytosanitary requirements established by each market. Currently, its public section dedicated to avocados includes operational plans for the United States and Argentina, but a specific protocol for China is not published.

This differentiates the announcement of the opening from its commercial implementation: for the new market to have a measurable impact, it will be necessary to know the definitive requirements, the authorized operators, and the logistics under which Ecuadorian fruit can arrive.

In this scenario, China appears as a medium- and long-term opportunity for Ecuador. Rather than immediately disrupting the supply of the Asian market, access would allow for a new destination for an industry seeking to increase production, diversify markets, and progressively consolidate its international presence.