Yesterday, the highly anticipated virtual forum titled "New Markets for Guatemalan Hass Avocados: Opportunities and Challenges," organized by the Avocado Producers Association (Anaguacate), took place. This event brought together experts from the agricultural sector, producers, exporters, and other key stakeholders to explore market expansion possibilities for Guatemalan avocados and analyze current challenges in consolidating their presence in international markets.

The forum began at 5:00 pm with an opening greeting from Gabriela Ríos, who moderated and guided the event. Following this, Engineer Francisco Viteri García-Gallont, president of the board of directors of Anaguacate, offered welcoming remarks, emphasizing the importance of opening new markets and strengthening the presence of Guatemalan Hass avocados in the global market.

For his part, Engineer Jorge Gómez, from VISAR-MAGA, presented on the topic of "Current Status of Opening New Markets: United States, Argentina, Asia, etc., and Requirements Requested by the United States to Date." In his presentation, Engineer Gómez provided an updated overview of Guatemala's efforts to access strategic markets such as the United States and other growing markets in Asia and South America.

He also explained the requirements that Guatemalan products must meet to be accepted in these destinations, a crucial issue for the competitiveness of local producers.

The third presentation was given by Sebastián de la Cuadra, CEO of AVOBOOK, who spoke about "The Global Avocado Market: New Trends and Statistics." De la Cuadra shared relevant data on the global avocado market, including consumption statistics, demand growth, and marketing trends. He highlighted the opportunity for Guatemala to diversify its exports to other markets, based on the growing popularity of avocados as a healthy product in various regions of the world.

To conclude the event, a question-and-answer session was held, allowing attendees to interact with the speakers and resolve specific doubts about the topics discussed. This final segment was moderated once again by Gabriela Ríos, who also closed the event.

Conclusions and future perspectives

The forum made it clear that Guatemalan Hass avocados have great potential for growth in international markets, provided that producers and exporters are willing to adapt to the regulations and requirements of each country. Furthermore, the importance of working together with trade associations and organizations to strengthen the quality and added value of the product was emphasized.

The authorities and experts present agreed that Guatemala has a unique opportunity to position itself as a reliable, high-quality supplier in increasingly competitive markets. Collaboration and investment in technology, infrastructure, and fruit ripening processes are fundamental to ensuring the success of this project in the medium and long term.

This forum represented an important step towards the internationalization of Guatemalan Hass avocados and is a demonstration of Anaguacate's commitment to the sustainable and competitive development of the sector.