The avocado sector has once again ratified its position as one of the largest in the Spanish province of Malaga, closing this year's campaign with a 62 million Euro turnover; up 10 % from 2013, according to Asaja Málaga.
Producers have had to face numerous adversities, including the strong winds registered last winter, which caused the loss of 13 % of the production. "However, thanks to the quality of the fruit harvested this year, the large calibres and the great knowledge about the situation of the foreign markets of most agricultural entrepreneurs in this sector, the turnover has been seven million Euro greater than in the previous campaign," said the general secretary of Asaja Málaga, Benjamin Faulí.
The 6,000 hectares of avocados in the province, most of them in the region of Axarquia, have produced around 40,000 tonnes during the 2013-2014 campaign, compared to the 46,700 of the previous year.
The percentage represented by each variety has remained stable, with 8,000 tonnes of green avocados and 32,000 tonnes of Hass, which is the predominant variety.
"It is worth noting that the severe problems with calibres suffered last year have been left behind. The fruit has reached really commercial sizes and an optimal quality," explains Faulí.
According to Asaja, during this campaign, which has gone from September 2013 to May 2014, domestic sales reached 8,500 tonnes; a similar number to that of previous campaigns, and sales to the rest of the EU totalled 30,000 tonnes. Additionally, 1,500 tonnes of avocado were exported to third countries. Once again, the data show that most of Malaga's avocados are consumed outside Spain, mainly in France, UK and Germany.
As for prices, it is worth noting how stable they have remained, something not many products achieve. According to Faulí, despite reaching slightly lower levels than last year, the good calibres have compensated for it. The Fuerte variety remained stable and the Hass reached good prices of around 1.80 Euro per kilo, with occasional ups and downs.
According to Asaja Malaga, the presence of Israel in the market has been very significant this campaign, always competing with Spain, and Chile's extraordinary campaign in the European Union has overlapped for many weeks with Peru's. In Europe, explains Faulí, there is a growing presence of avocados from third countries, and although consumption is on the rise, the growth in the fruit's sales volumes corresponds mostly to third countries, as our production has stabilised. "In this regard, it is essential to increase the productivity of our plantations, to which end, investing in new techniques and research is essential," says Faulí.
