The harvest was brought forward this year due to earlier ripening, without overlapping with the Peruvian avocado, and with stable prices across all sizes.

The avocado season in the Valencian Community is ending earlier than usual, with the Lamb Hass harvest almost complete. This late-season variety reached its optimal ripeness sooner than expected this year. Vicente Bayona, CEO of Tropical Bayper and sales representative for avocado plants at Viveros Brokaw in the region, confirms that "most of the production has already been harvested, and the last batches will be sold this month, avoiding the arrival of Peruvian avocados."

The earlier harvest is due to producers' improved control of the harvest point, thanks to increasingly precise tools for measuring dry matter content in the field. Regarding size, while Lamb Hass typically produces large fruit, this year saw strong demand for medium-sized, scarce, and highly valued fruit in supermarkets. Even so, prices remained stable: between €1.75 and €2.10 per kilo for all sizes.

Currently, there are approximately 4,000 hectares of avocado orchards in the Valencian Community, divided equally between the Hass and Lamb Hass varieties. The latter is gaining ground due to its higher productivity—25% greater than Hass—and its ability to extend the harvest season into May. Valencian avocados continue to gain traction on European supermarket shelves, valued as a locally sourced product by importers and distribution chains.

Tropical Bayper, specializing in exotic fruits such as avocado, papaya and lime, markets about 4,000 tons per year, both in the national market and in countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and France.

Source: freshplaza.es