Producers are making adjustments to meet health requirements and learning from other exporters to be ready to ship fruit for next year's Super Bowl.

Guatemalan avocado producers are focusing much of their attention on the tasks that will allow them to certify to U.S. authorities that their fruit meets the requirements for entry into the United States market. This is a process they have been working on since 2019 and could be successful next year, if they receive a favorable decision from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

"We are working to achieve market access for Hass avocados in the United States, with the goal of being present for the big Super Bowl celebration in 2025. That really makes us very happy and at the same time commits us," says Francisco Viteri García - Gallont, president of the Guatemalan Avocado Producers Association (Anaguacate).

As Viteri told Avonews, "We are very confident that it will be achieved. The consultation period for the Risk Assessment closed on May 28th. Analyzing the consultations, we see that the comments are very valid and accurate. At the same time, they help us prepare much better. With the documents we have been working on for the last almost five years, we are perhaps already 90% clear."

Learning from other experiences

To strengthen the industry's preparedness, Guatemalan avocado exporters have undertaken intensive benchmarking : "We have studied the protocol documents and work plans of other countries. Based on that, we have prepared ourselves."

"All of this has truly solidified us into a very strong industry. Anaguacate has been organizing and consolidating the industry. It has united producers, packers, and exporters. At the same time, we have been training and researching. We have provided support, within our purview as the private sector, to both local and U.S. authorities so that we can all move forward together," says the president of the association.

Viteri explains that, in addition to aligning the industry with the phytosanitary requirements for entering the United States, Anaguacate's focus is on giving its fruit an identity with two qualities: quality and sustainability.

Along these lines, manuals of recommendations or sustainable best practices are being developed, with the idea that this factor should be transversal for the entire industry.

"We firmly believe that agriculture must coexist with nature and the environment, and that we cannot cease to be sustainable. Sustainability must be comprehensive: environmental, social, and financial, so that projects make sense and can succeed. The vast majority of the farms that are exporting and the packing plants have Food Safety and Global GAP certifications. Many also have Rainforest Alliance certification or some other environmental protocol, in addition to food safety certifications," states the president of Anaguacate.

Promotion of Guatemalan avocados

The president of Anaguacate says that, once authorization is obtained, the plan is to promote the product in the United States: "We want to work very closely with both marketers in the United States and supermarket chains."

"The idea is to make ourselves known. We'll be new to this market, but we've been in the industry for several years, and that's why we want to do a really good job of positioning Guatemalan fruit well. Our tools will be quality, sustainability, and letting our fruit speak for itself. The market is large and there's room for everyone," says the representative of the Guatemalan avocado producers.