An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Agricultural Outlook report has projected avocado to be the most traded major tropical fruit by 2030.
According to the report avocados have experienced the fastest growth in output in recent years and is expected to remain the fastest growing commodity of the major tropical fruits from 2021-2030.
In response to rapidly growing global demand, avocado is expected to become the most traded major tropical fruit by 2030, reaching 3.9Mt of exports and overtaking both pineapple the current biggest export, and mango.
“Production is accordingly projected to reach 12Mt by 2030 – more than three times its level in 2010.”
Avocado production has been so far concentrated in a small number of regions and countries, with the top ten producing countries accounting for almost 80 per cent of global output, but new growing areas are emerging rapidly. Nevertheless, the report says about 74 per cent of avocado production is expected to remain in Latin America and the Caribbean, given the favourable growing conditions.
“The United States and the European Union, where consumer interest in avocados is fuelled by the fruit’s assumed health benefits, are expected to remain the main importers, with 40 per cent and 31 per cent of global imports in 2030, respectively”, says the report.
“However, imports are also rapidly rising in many other countries such as in China and some countries in the Middle East, and, as measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index of all importers, the concentration of imports is gradually decreasing.”
However, the strawberry harvest is continuing at Asplins Producer Organisation in Kent, the peak volumes are past but picking will continue with significant volumes for a while yet.
“It has been quite a challenging season,” said Chris Rose, Commercial Controller at the company. “We had a late start with two peaks with very mixed weather. Last week was dry but we have also had some very wet weather, the weather this season has been very localised which has probably made a difference to the supply from different areas. There was too much fruit around ten days ago and the wet weather does not encourage demand.”
Labour is also an ongoing challenge for growers in the UK.
The early floricane raspberry varieties, which started three weeks late, peaked around six weeks ago and Asplins growers are into the main crop. “We are now getting through the long cane and primocane raspberries are just starting. We expect volumes to be as predicted at the start of the season and demand has been quite good, although at peak times the volumes have exceeded demand.”
The blueberries have been going for a few weeks and production is going well, but there is a lot competition on the market.
“There are a lot Eastern European imports which are at times cheaper than UK blueberries. unlike strawberries and raspberries, blueberries are not seen in Summer as a purely British product which brings challenges in the market. Our blueberry volumes are increasing but we are still a relatively small player”.
