English edition Close-up AVOCADO anglais taille mini.pdfof the archipelago is limited, of around 300...

English edition

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Close-up AVOCADO

European apples and pears:

prospects for 2013

Citrus and exotics: monthly review

Sept

embe

r 201

3 - N

o. 2

14

Contenu publié par l’Observatoire des Marchés du CIRAD − Toute reproduction interdite

1 No. 214 September 2013

Cover photograph: Eric Imbert

The report on fair trade broadcast by the Franco-German TV channel Arte, in August 2013, has made some small mark on the food trade world. It talked about coffee, but also bananas, and above all bananas from the Dominican Republic. It scrutinised the inner workings of the value chain, traced the lines of the supply industries, analysed the working conditions of the workers and looked into their origin and social status. It

raised real questions and opened up a real debate on the very principles of this trade, which has made itself out to be fair, as opposed to other trade, which would by contrast be unfair. It is causing damage. It is showing the flip side of the coin. It lifted up the mat under which all the dirt built up over years has been concealed. And the devil is not just in the details. The status of many Haitian workers, akin to modern-day slavery, on the Saint-Domingue banana plantation is one of the dark points of this report. The distribution of value, also unfair, seems to be a principle very much shared by many players all the way along this rather opaque and very long chain. In other words, the glass is half empty; but I want to see it half full. Because the positive externalities of this movement are genuine and in many cases contribute to really improving the well-being of the populations. True, some black sheep have moved in on this sector. Oh dear! The poor viewers in our dehumanised cities seem disappointed in this imperfect world, while buying themselves re-

purification at a reasonable price by “eating fair”. I would like to reassure them above all to continue to do so, but to exercise some awareness, without deluding themselves about what their purchase means; and without, out of blind ideology or self-righteous sectarianism, making it a battle between small against big, fair against the rest, or even local against distant. Or maybe it was the real dawn of the age of the consumer as player?

Denis Loeillet

C ontents Direct from the markets

p. 2

JULY/AUGUST 2013 • Avocado: New Zealand avocado: teamwork is better than competition? —

Return of the Hawaiian avocado to US stores — Will the number one Peruvian avocado producer soon be the world’s number one producer?

• Banana: Nicaraguan bananas: asserted international ambitions — MIA joins Fruidor group — The EU and United States have never consumed so many bananas.

• Exotics: Litchi: a limited summer season. • Citrus: Small harvests for 2013-14 by the two juice giants — Good news for

Uruguayan citruses! — Spanish lemon harvest back to an average level in 2013-14.

• Sea freight and sector news: New management and organigrams for Univeg group.

E. Imbert, D. Loeillet, C. Dawson, P. Gerbaud, T. Paqui, R. Bright

The latest on...

p. 14 • European apples and pears Prospects for 2013: the comeback! Cécilia Céleyrette

Close-up by Eric Imbert: AVOCADO

p. 19 • World avocado market in 2012-2013: a Mexican surge rocking the world market

• European avocado market in 2012-2013: the EU consolidates its reawakening! • Forecast for the 2013-2014 avocado season: fuel to feed the growth • The avocado sector in Colombia: assets for success on the international market • World statistics panorama • Post-harvest • Quality flaws • Varieties

p. 71 JULY/AUGUST 2013

Wholesale market prices in Europe

Publisher Cirad TA B-26/PS4 34398 Montpellier cedex 5, France Tel: 33 (0) 4 67 61 71 41 Fax: 33 (0) 4 67 61 59 28 Email: [email protected] http://passionfruit.cirad.fr

Publishing Director Hubert de Bon

Editors-in-chief Denis Loeillet and Eric Imbert

Editor Catherine Sanchez

Computer graphics Martine Duportal

Iconography Régis Domergue

Website Unité multimédia (Cirad)

Advertising Manager Eric Imbert

Subscriptions [email protected]

Translators James Brownlee, Simon Barnard

Printed by Impact Imprimerie n°483 ZAC des Vautes 34980 Saint Gély du Fesc, France

Separate French and English editions

ISSN French: 1256-544X English: 1256-5458

© Copyright Cirad

Subscription rate EUR 220 / 11 issues per year

This document was produced by the Markets News Service of the PERSYST department at CIRAD, for the exclusive use of subscribers. The data pre-sented are from reliable sources, but CIRAD may not be held responsible for any error or omission. Under no circumstances may the published prices be considered to be transaction prices. Their aim is to shed light on the medium and long-term market trends and evolutions. This publication is protected by copyright, and all rights of reproduction and distribution are prohibited.


September 2013 No. 214 2

Direct from the markets

Avocado

July/August 2013 The market remained under pressure throughout the summer. Demand was slow, and only picked up towards late August, particularly in Northern Europe. The Hass market remained under pres-sure from June to mid-July, due to very large imports of approximately 1.3 mil-lion boxes/week for one month, espe-cially of large and small sizes. Volumes from Peru were well above average for the season, as were those from Kenya and South Africa. Hence prices, after falling in June, began to pick up from week 25, returning to a seasonal level from mid-July. The strengthening of rates continued in August. The green varieties from South Africa continued to be sold on the North European markets.

Avocat - France - Prix import

0.00.40.81.21.62.02.42.8

O N D J F M A M J J A S

euro

/kg

12/13 11/12 10/11

Varieties

Comparison

previous month

average for last 2 years

Green = + 29%

Hass = + 19%

V O L U M E S

V O L U M E S

Source

Comparison

Observations

Cumulated total /

cumulated average for last 2 years

previous month


South Africa = + 20% Excess imports of green varieties from week 31. Stable shipments of Hass, though still well above average. + 12%

Peru = + 22% Very small imports of green varieties, but Hass volumes very high throughout the month (+ 40 %). + 28%

Kenya = - 24% Very modest imports into the EU. End of season for green varieties, and short volumes of Hass. - 14%

Varieties

Average monthly

price euro/box

Comparison with the last

2 years

Green 8.80 + 40%

Hass 9.17 + 16%

P R I C E

New Zealand avocado: team-work is better than competi-tion. Now united under the banner of AVOCO™ (New Zealand Avocado Company), New Zealand’s two main exporters will work their number one outlet, i.e. neighbouring Austra-lia, together. “Primor Produce” and “Southern Produce”, which encom-pass 75 % of the country’s produc-ers, are behind this agreement, and have only extended to their main market a single channel system that they had already set up and tested on diversification markets, primarily situated in Asia (AVANZA initiative, launched in 2012 with the Just Avo-cado company). This decision probably bears the stigmas of the 2010-11 season, when overproduc-tion and competition between op-erators led to an unprecedented economic disaster.

Source: Reefer Trends

Return of the Hawaiian avo-cado to US stores. The USDA has given the green light for avocado export to the 32 Continental states. The return of this supplier, whose shipments had been suspended in 1992 for sanitary reasons, should not be a game changer. While this decision gives Hawaiian producers a boost, it will not compromise the balance of the colossal and dy-namic US market. The production of the archipelago is limited, of around 300 to 350 tonnes, and only the Sharwil variety is concerned.

Source: NotiHass

Will the number one Peru-vian avocado producer soon be the world’s number one pro-ducer? Thanks to its booming 2 600 ha of orchards, Camposol should be able to export between 30 000 and 35 000 t of Hass in 2014. With such volumes, the Peruvian leader in avocados should come close to or surpass the main global producers such as Westfalia or other American giants: a place of honour that the company already occupies for asparagus exports.

Source: Camposol

© E

ric Im

bert

© E

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bert

Avocado - France - Import price




Nicaraguan bananas: as-serted international ambitions. “The banana is more profitable than sugar cane”: this is the motiva-tion driving “Grupo Coen” to begin to set up in the Chinandega region a 1 500 ha plantation aimed at ex-ports. The project, which is pro-gressing at a rate of approximately 500 ha per year, could be followed in the future by another stage which would take the total area of the plantation to 6 000 ha. The fruits, which will be exported via Honduras, will be aimed entirely at the US market. The first shipments should start in February 2014. Nica-ragua is currently a minor player in the world banana trade, with an-nual exports of between 40 000 and 60 000 t, more than half of which comprise plantains.


MIA joins Fruidor group. As of 2 August, the Rouen-based ripen-ing operator MIA (Mûrisseries In-dustrielles Antillaises), left AZ France group to join the Guade-loupe and Martinique banana in-dustry via its network of ripening plants, Fruidor: a logical step for this big ripening player of the north-west quarter of France, which

primarily ripens fruits from Guade-loupe and Martinique. The whole-sale activity on the Rouen agricul-tural & horticultural market will not only be maintained, but will also enjoy the upstream support of Frui-dor’s “local produce” business, which markets more than 75 000 t of fruit and vegetable produce.

Sources: AZ France Group, Fruidor

Banana

July/August 2013 As is the yearly custom, the summer pe-riod was marked by slow demand on the banana market because of the holidays and seasonal fruits, though they were less present and less competitive than usual due to the poor weather conditions in spring. However, the North European market maintained a good balance thanks to a decrease in the dollar banana supply, with the implementation of summer pro-grammes by importers and a significant fall in production due to the unfavourable weather. Furthermore, demand proved particularly slow in Southern Europe, which suffered from high temperatures (30-35°C). Nonetheless, the balance in Italy held up thanks to active re-exports to South Mediterranean countries, whose demand was more dynamic because of Ramadan. Similarly, in Spain, the Canaries platano shortage enabled rates to rise until mid-July, exhibiting historically high levels. In France, despite the ongoing seasonal fall, the situation proved more difficult until mid-July because of quanti-ties from Africa and the French West In-dies remaining well above average. Due to tropical storm Chantal, volumes from the French West Indies fell from early Au-gust, helping the supply return to a near-average level for the season, and thereby relieving the market. Exports to Eastern Europe exhibited a good level because of low volumes of dollar bananas. Despite high temperatures in Russia, the summer period was marked by stable rates thanks to moderate dollar banana volumes. Over-all, prices remained stable and above av-erage for previous years.

EUROPE — RETAIL PRICE August 2013 Comparison

type euro/kg July

2013 average for last

2 years France normal 1.63 - 2% + 8% special offer 1.57 + 1% + 15% Germany normal 1.29 - 2% + 14% discount 1.23 0% + 10% UK (£/kg) packed 1.18 - 4% - 4% loose 0.68 - 5% - 9% Spain plátano 2.39 + 4% + 36% banano 1.42 + 3% + 5%

Country

NORTHERN EUROPE — IMPORT PRICE Comparison

previous month


13.10 0% + 10%

August 2013

euro/box

E U R O P E

14.514.8 14.8

14.7

14.113.3

13.213.1

J F M A M J J A S O N D

euro

s/co

lis

2013 2012 2011

Allemagne - Prix vert (2e et 3e marques)

Banana — Nicaragua — Exports

tonnes 2008 2009 2010 2011

Banana 34 748 34 893 20 035 8 169

Plantain 25 716 26 993 31 908 36 960

Others 8 1 209 2 801

Total 60 472 61 887 52 152 47 930 Source: customs of Nicaragua

© C

arol

ina

Daw

son

Germany - Green price (2nd/3rd brands)

euro

/box




Banana

USA — IMPORT PRICE Comparison

previous month


16.10 + 1% + 3%

August 2013

USD/box

U N I T E D

S T A T E S

16.1 16.817.9

17.6

17.917.3

16.7 16.0


USD

/col

is

2013 2012 2011

Etats-Unis - Prix vert (spot)

R U S S I A

15.3

14.813.3

15.6

13.0

13.213.8

11.8


USD

/col

is

2013 2012 2011

Russie - Prix vert CIF St Petersburg

EUROPE — IMPORTED VOLUMES — AUGUST 2013

Source July 2013

August 2012

cumulated total 2013 compared to 2012

French West Indies - 30% + 2% Cameroon/Ghana/Côte d’Ivoire + 32% + 15% Surinam - 12% - 1% Canaries = - 19% - 7% Dollar:

Ecuador - 16% - 21% Colombia* + 16% + 11% Costa Rica - 20% - 15%

Comparison

C A N A R I E S

15.0 16.5

13.6

14.016.2

26.624.5 22.4


euro

/col

is

2013 2012 2011

Espagne - Prix vert platano*

* 18.5 kg box equivalent

RUSSIA — IMPORT PRICE Comparaison

previous month


11.80 - 14% + 55%

August 2013

USD/box

CANARIES — IMPORT PRICE* Comparison

previous month


22.40 - 16% + 74%

August 2013

euro/box

Estimated thanks to professional sources / * total all destinations

The EU and United States have never consumed so many ba-nanas. The recovery is impressive, and even historic. The EU finished the 1st half of 2013 with a 4 % rise in its supply. It was imports that were driving growth, with the dollar sources up by 90 000 tonnes from 2012, i.e. an increase of 5 %. While Ecuador once again suffered a set-back (- 3 %), Costa Rica, Mexico, Gua-temala and Peru exceeded the trend, with even better growth in the case of Panama (+ 44 %). In percentages, it is nonetheless the African part of the ACP which did the best business with a leap of 10 % (+ 26 000 ton-nes). Cameroon confirmed its excel-lent trend, increasing its EU market shipments by 22 % over six months. More modestly, Côte d’Ivoire and, on the other side of the Atlantic, Belize, were up by 6 %. There were few los-ers. Once again we can note the under-performance of Ecuador (- 3 %), the steep fall of Ghana (- 26 %) because of industrial action, and the stability of Colombia. Euro-pean production was down 3 % due

to the poor shape of the Canaries supply (- 7 %). French production is doing better than the global trend, with an increase of 4 % for Martin-ique and 9 % for Guadeloupe. With 2.8 million tonnes consumed over the first six months, the EU 27 broke an absolute record.

This was also the case for the Ameri-can market, which exhibited highly encouraging performances, al-though this has become a habit over the past few years. Consump-tion for the first half was in excess of 2 million tonnes, which was also an absolute record. Ecuador could not take advantage of the trend, drop-ping by 2 %, as did Costa Rica (- 3 %). Guatemala (+ 12 %) con-firmed its hold on the American market. Its market share is now 35 %. Honduras (+ 10 %) and Co-lombia (+ 7 %) are going with the flow. In both Europe and the US, we should note the breakthrough by Mexico, already reaching 130 000 t in the United States and more mod-estly 17 000 t in the EU.

Source: CIRAD

Banana - January to June 2013 (provisional)

tonnes 2011 2012 2013 Variation 2013/2012

EU-27 — Total supply 2 703 846 2 696 035 2 803 938 + 4% Total import, of which 2 420 330 2 369 664 2 488 402 + 5%

MFN 1 914 397 1 879 170 1 967 951 + 5% ACP Africa 264 292 245 779 271 318 +10%

ACP others 241 640 244 716 249 134 + 2% Total EU, of which 283 516 326 371 315 536 - 3%

Martinique 79 241 91 001 95 069 + 4% Guadeloupe 24 947 29 390 31 988 + 9%

Canaries 168 806 195 457 181 469 - 7% USA — Imports 2 135 926 2 198 110 2 296 217 + 4%

Re-exports 266 415 257 581 270 652 + 5% Net supply 1 869 511 1 940 529 2 025 565 + 4%

EU sources: CIRAD, EUROSTAT (excl. EU domestic production) / USA source: US customs

USA - Green price (spot)

USD

/box

U

SD/b

ox

Russia - Green price

euro

/box

Spain - Platano green price*




Orange

July/August 2013 The summer saw a good market situa-tion for the orange, despite slow de-mand due to the rising temperatures and the holidays. Sales were more dy-namic than previous years because of weak competition from seasonal fruits. Furthermore, volumes of Spanish Valen-cia Late continued to wane until mid-August. Rates strengthened for the standard brands. Hence South African Valencia Late began in good shape, yet with moderate volumes because of logistical problems. Indeed, multiple inspections against black spot slowed down ship loading, causing irregular arrivals. Sales of Navel from this same source were dynamic. Rates remained stable and above average for the sea-son. Some batches of oranges from Uruguay and Argentina were available.

Source

Comparison

previous month


Spain + 9%

South Africa + 9%

V O L U M E S

V O L U M E S

Varieties by

source

Comparison

Observations

Cumulated total /


previous month


Valencia Late from Spain + 9% End of season. Volumes falling but at a higher level than in previous

years. + 50%

Valencia Late and Navel from S. Africa

= + 9% Slowdown in growth of volumes. Navel waning, and slow progress of the Valencia Late season (irregular shipments). + 31%

Source

Average monthly

price euro/box

15 kg

Comparison with average

for last 2 years

Spain 10.35 + 69%

South Africa 12.75 + 25%

P R I C E

0.00.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.80.9


euro

/kg

12/13 11/12 10/11

Orange - France - Prix import

Small harvests for 2013-14 by the two juice giants. Louis Dreyfus Citrus and the firm Elisa-beth Steger are predicting a small Floridian production of between 130 and 132 million boxes in 2013-14. The fall, currently small in rela-tion to the 133.4 million crates pro-duced in 2012-13, could prove more pronounced if the fruit drop due to greening was as great as last season. We recall that this phe-nomenon was behind a differential of nearly 20 million crates between the original forecast and the final figures achieved last season! Even with this probably optimistic level, the Floridian 2013-14 harvest is still to be among the smallest ever re-corded since the hurricanes of 2004-05 and 2005-06.

There is already a scenario of a marked fall in production prevailing in Brazil. The harvest, down by more than 25 % from last season, is reported to have hit a historic low point of just 268 million crates. This

Orange - Brazil and Florida - Production

378303 351 356 355 355 298

428364

150

148129 170 162 134

141

147133

268*

131*

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

13/1

4

* estimates / Sources: CONAB, USDA, Dreyfus, Steger

mill

ion

field

box

es (4

0.8

kg)

FloridaBrazil

399*

497

575

439489517526

480451528

tumble is reportedly due to climatic reasons (lack of rain), but also the effects of the recurrent economic crisis with which small producers are faced (abandoned orchards, fall in productivity for lack of inputs or irrigation, etc.). Hence the com-bined harvest of the two giants of the sector, who between them con-trol more than 80 % of the world market, should exhibit a level 20 % lower than last sea-son and the four-year aver-age. Which should help cut Brazilian stocks, which amounted to 766 000 t at the end of the first half, i.e. nine months’ consumption!

Source: FoodNews © Rég

is Dom

ergu

e

Orange - France - Import price




Grapefruit

July/August 2013 Grapefruit sales were slow during the summer period, with demand not prov-ing dynamic. Except for the presence of some scarce batches from Argentina in early July on the South and East Euro-pean markets, South Africa was the only source present. Yet volumes remained well above those for other years be-cause of the large production potential this season. Hence the supply remained heavy in the large sizes (30/35/40/45). Because of a market quickly under pres-sure from early July, exporters cut back on their shipments to give way to other products. Nonetheless, stocks remained large and rates continued to fall, reach-ing levels below those of previous years.

V O L U M E S

Type

Comparison

previous month


Tropical - 9%

V O L U M E S

Source

Comparison

Observations

Cumulated total /


previous month


South Africa - 9% Volumes to Europe falling due to difficult market conditions and the presence of large stocks.

+ 16%

P R I C E

Type

Average monthly

price euro/box

17 kg box eq.

Comparison with average

for last 2 years

Tropical 11.56 - 9%

0.50.60.70.80.91.01.11.2


euro

/kg

12/13 11/12 10/11

Pomelo - France - Prix import

Spanish lemon harvest back to an average level in 2013-14. With a forecasted 910 000 tonnes, the Spanish lemon harvest exhibited a rise of approximately 10 % from last season. However, this increase is only a return to average, after a somewhat light season 2012-13. The increase appears to relate to both the Primofiore and its later cousin the Verna. The Turkish competition should be greater than last season. However, the frost seen in Argentina during the summer should have a positive effect on the opening up of the early-season fresh market, and hold up the prices of industrial de-rivatives (essential oil and concen-trated juice in particular).

Source: AILIMPO

Good news for Uruguayan citruses! The doors to the US mar-ket are now open to Uruguayan citruses. With the green light given only in early August, Uruguayan exporters should not really start to establish themselves on this new market until 2014. Uruguay exports between 100 000 and 150 000 t of citruses per year during the summer period, with 80 % aimed at the EU.


Lemon - Spain - Production

1 090

552

946

682

931977

820910*

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

13/1

4

000

tonn

es

* estimate / Source: AILIMPO

© D

enis

Loe

illet

Grapefruit - France - Import price

7796

79 8569 73 83

6845

37

44

4146

38 3952

38

35

13

16

1514

15 13

16

14

14

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Source: DNA

000

tonn

es

Orange Easy peelersGrapefruit Lemon

129

Citrus - Uruguay - Exports

158

137146

122126

150

121

94




Pineapple

July/August 2013 The fall in the Sweet supply, starting in June, continued throughout the sum-mer. In July, the imbalance kept intensi-fying, with the Latin American supply primarily comprising small sizes. Rates remained relatively stable, with de-mand easily absorbing the volumes on the market. In early August, demand shrank steeply due to the mass holi-days, causing a fall in rates, especially for small sizes, intensified by fears of sales slumps for the 15 August period (the Assumption public holiday). Opera-tors did not hesitate to cut their prices to get stocks moving. At the end of the month, the situation deteriorated and stocks formed, especially with small sizes less in demand. Despite the end of the holiday period, pineapple demand was struggling to recover. However, the established brands certainly took ad-vantage of the weakness of the supply, managing to easily sell their small vol-umes at prices higher than those indi-cated (2 euros, or even 5 euros at best). The Cayenne supply remained re-stricted during the summer.

In July, the air supply was smaller, with operators adapting their volumes to the increasingly large presence of seasonal fruits. Hence sales were rather fluid. While the quality of fruits from Benin improved, fruits from Cameroon were more heterogeneous. In August, the supply was even smaller due to the mass holiday periods of many opera-tors. However, rates were stronger, with the supply well below average. The situation was more complicated during the summer for the Sugarloaf, due to an influx of volumes with not always flaw-less quality. Rates were falling fairly steeply: between 1.70 and 2.00 euros/kg depending on the quality, outside of commission sales.

Victoria sales were fairly slow through-out the summer. Nonetheless, rates remained fairly stable despite the lim-ited number of sales.

E U R O P E

PINEAPPLE — IMPORT PRICE IN FRANCE — MAIN SOURCES Weeks 2013 27 28 29 30

By air (euro/kg) Smooth Cayenne Benin 1.70-1.90 1.70-1.90 1.70-1.85 1.80-1.85 Cameroon 1.70-1.90 1.70-1.90 1.70-1.90 1.70-1.90 Ghana 1.80-1.90 1.80-1.90 1.80-1.85 1.85-1.95 Victoria Réunion 3.50-3.80 3.50-3.80 3.50 3.50 Mauritius 3.00-3.20 3.00-3.20 3.00-3.50 3.20-3.50

By sea (euro/box)

Sweet Côte d’Ivoire 7.00-9.00 7.00-9.00 7.00-9.00 7.00-8.50 Cameroon 7.00-9.00 7.00-9.00 Ghana 7.00-9.00 7.00-9.00 7.00-9.00 7.00-8.50 Costa Rica 6.50-8.50 6.50-8.50 7.00-9.00 7.00-9.00

31

1.80-1.85 1.70-1.90 1.85-2.00

3.50 3.00-3.20

7.00-8.50

7.00-8.50 7.00-11.00

Smooth Cayenne Côte d’Ivoire 5.00-7.50

32 33 34 35

1.80-1.90 1.90-2.00 1.90-2.00 1.90-2.00 1.70-1.90 1.80-2.00 1.80-2.00 1.80-2.00 1.80-1.90 1.90-2.00 1.90-2.00 1.90-2.00 3.30-3.50 3.30-3.50 3.30-3.50 3.30-3.50 3.00-3.20 3.00-3.20 3.00-3.20 3.00-3.20

5.50-7.50 5.00-7.50 5.00-7.50 5.00-7.00 7.00-8.50 7.00-8.50 7.00-8.50 7.00-8.50

7.00-8.50 7.00-8.50 7.00-8.50 7.00-8.50 6.50-9.00 6.00-10.50 6.00-9.00 5.50-7.00

Chi and finally Yellow Red. Throughout this period, the Euro-pean market traders emphasised the limited shipments, but also the lack of interest from customers. Besides these two conventional sources, some batches from China and Mexico were also offered be-tween the second half of June and the first half of July. Rates of be-tween 5.00 and 7.50 euros/kg were charged for these products, whose fleeting appearance on the markets really does represent the lack of demand for them. Whether or not high volumes are available, litchis are struggling to make money at this time of year when seasonal fruits represent the bulk of de-mand. Might this apparent drop in consumption of the product con-ceal other import circuits not de-tectable on the wholesale markets, especially in France where non-market importers feed a more-or-less captive ethnic customer base?

Source: Pierre Gerbaud

Litchi: a limited summer sea-son. In accordance with the trend already observed in these columns, litchi sales in the summer period prove more difficult every year. Hence the Thai season, beginning in early May, finished in mid-June for air-transported fruits. Sea ship-ments only prolonged the market period until mid-July, confirming the shortening of the season, which a few years ago extended practi-cally until the end of August. Rates on the Dutch market, the main re-cipient of Thai litchis, went down from 10.00 to 7.50 euros/kg for air-transported produce. They were higher for sea-transported fruits, rising from 4.50 euros/kg in the early season to 6.50 euros/kg at the end when the supply was dwin-dling. Distribution to other Euro-pean markets remained limited. Israeli litchis appeared fairly early in mid-July. They fed the European market until September, sold on a basis of 4.00 to 5.00 euros/kg, first the Mauritius variety, then No Mai

© C

lio D

elan

oue




Mango

July/August 2013 In July, the sea mango supply remained fairly moderate and regular, enabling prices to be kept stable for good quality fruits. The supply to the European mar-ket was ensured during this period by Brazil (Tommy Atkins, Palmer and Keitt), Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic (Keitt), Senegal (Kent) and Mali for resid-ual quantities. Irregular in the early part of the month, Mexican shipments (Kent) gradually expanded in the latter half. The limited supply was suited to the sagging demand for tropical fruits in this summer period. From mid-July, demand dropped considerably under the effect of competition from seasonal fruits reaching their full production level, one month late. From the second half of the month, there were some one-off sales at prices below those stated below for fruits from Mexico and Senegal, due to the appearance of qual-ity problems (lack of colouring and ma-turity, fungal attacks).

The air mango market proved more difficult in July because of regular and substantial deliveries from Mexico and Senegal, compared to demand. Certain highly mature batches were struggling to sell. In this context of a swollen mar-ket, selling the first Maya and Aya batches from Israel remained difficult.

MANGO — IMPORT PRICE ON THE FRENCH MARKET — Euro Weeks 2013 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

By air (kg) Mali Kent 3.00-3.50 2.50-2.80 Burkina Faso Kent 2.80-3.00 2.50-2.80 Mexico Kent 4.00-4.50 3.50-4.20 3.50-3.80 3.00-3.50 3.00-4.00 3.60-4.00 3.80-4.00 3.50 Senegal Kent 3.80-4.50 3.00-4.00 3.00-3.50 3.00-3.50 3.00-3.50 3.00-3.80 3.40-4.00 3.50 3.40-3.80 Israel Aya/Maya 4.00 4.00 3.80 3.00-3.50 2.80-3.00 3.20-3.80 3.60-3.80 Israel Autres 2.80-3.00 2.80-3.00 Israel Kent 3.70-4.50 3.50-4.00

By sea (box)

Mali Kent/Keitt 4.00-5.00 4.00-5.00 2.00-5.00 2.00-4.50 Mexico Kent 5.50 5.00 3.50-5.00 4.50-5.50 3.50-4.50 4.50-5.50 Senegal Kent 6.00-6.50 5.00-5.50 4.50-6.00 4.50-5.50 4.50-5.50 3.50-5.50 4.50-5.50 3.50-4.50 4.50-6.00 Puerto Rico Keitt 5.00-6.00 5.00-5.50 5.00-5.50 5.00-5.50 5.00-5.50 5.00-5.50 5.00-5.50 5.00-6.00 6.00-7.00 Dom. Rep. Keitt 5.00-6.00 5.00-6.00 5.50 Israel Kent 6.00-7.00

Brazil T. Atkins 4.00-4.50 4.00-4.50 4.00-4.50 6.50-7.00

E U R O P E

In August, the sagging demand and strong competition from seasonal fruits made the sea mango market rather life-less. However, rates managed to stabilise given the limited supply. The more in-tense quality problems encountered with fruits from Mexico and Senegal forced operators to apply sorting in order to obtain maximum value from selling these products. The decreased deliveries from these two sources, and the small ship-ments from Israel led to a supply deficit situation at the end of the month. This was all the more marked since imports from Brazil remained well below those of the same time last year. The announce-ment of a modest Spanish season only intensified the supply deficit, while de-mand strengthened with the end of the summer holidays. This situation gener-ated a steep price increase, except for the poorer quality fruits from Mexico and Senegal, sources which were gradually shrinking.

The air mango market, showing little spark in the first half of August because of a chaotic supply in terms of source, quality and variety, recovered in the sec-ond half of the month with the disap-pearance of Mexican and Senegalese fruits. The remaining market supply came only from Israel, with limited volumes.

MANGO — ARRIVALS (estimates) — Tonnes Weeks 2013 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

By air Mali 5 Senegal 50 40 40 20 15 Mexico 60 80 80 50 30

By sea Brazil 590 680 680 860 810 830 770 860 830

© Régis Domergue




Sea freight

1st half 2013 The TCE average of 27 c/cbft for June made the average for the first six months of 2013 66 c/cbft, up approxi-mately 50% on 2012 and similar to the 2011 figure. However it is still well short of the 100 c/cbft average achieved for the same periods in 2007 and 2008. The small segment on the other hand aver-aged a little over 90 c/cbft, not far off parity with the figures of five years pre-viously. Superficially the numbers indi-cate that while owners and operators in the small vessel segment have taken the requisite remedial action to restore equilibrium and build confidence, there is still more to be done in the larger segment.

Vessel capacity below 300’ cbft has an average age of 25/26 – with no new-buildings yet confirmed and competi-tive third party container services seem-ingly unable to tap into some of the voyages that occupy this tonnage, own-ers of smaller units should theoretically be able to look forward to several years of high average yields. The biggest threat to the segment is that of the un-der-employed larger reefer that can yield an adequate TCE return on a part-load at a competitive voyage rate and therefore another reason for the seg-ment to shrink further.

After what can be described as a healthy February to April peak season, rates fell off a cliff in May partly because of overcapacity and partly due to the dramatic and unexpected reduction in Ecuadorian banana volumes. This time last year the majority of the 73 vessels that were demolished had already been dispatched to the breakers – however at least 30-35 units were also in lay-up. There are perhaps only 12-15 in lay-up this year. It was clearly the lay-up factor and not the demolition total that un-derpinned the supply/demand balance between last May and the end of last year. Steps have now been taken to

R E E F E R

MONTHLY SPOT AVERAGE

USD cents/cubic foot x 30 days

Large reefers

Small reefers

1st half 2013 66 93

1st half 2012 41 56

1st half 2011 62 83

address the (over) capacity issue but not in time to avert the collapse in the TCE aver-age over the summer.

As well as what appears to be a structural change in Ecuadorian banana production, two other factors impacted on the TCE cal-culations of owners and operators, of which one may have an immediate impact on the number of reefers to be scrapped this year. Far from undercutting values in Rotterdam and Gibraltar, bunker prices in St Peters-burg are today only discounted USD 40 per MT against the benchmark Rotterdam fig-ure compared to almost USD 200 per MT 12 months ago.

The principal beneficiary of cheap bunkers was owner/operator Baltic Shipping as it had/has the oldest and least fuel economi-cal reefer fleet. In order to compete with its rivals on its four core liner strings into St Petersburg, Baltic is under a little pressure to upgrade its fleet. Should it choose to do so, some of this excess tonnage will be re-moved from the market.

The other factor has been the shrinking of the Med banana market. En bloc, the trad-ing markets of North Africa, the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea are ab-sorbing many fewer bananas this year than they have in the recent past as a result of the sweeping political and economic changes taking place in the region. At some stage these banana markets will surely re-turn. How and from where they will be sup-plied if the draconian changes being forced through by the Correa Administration take root remains to be seen. Ecuador’s Agricul-ture Minister has said on a number of occa-sions that if regulating the country’s banana

industry leads to the world’s largest banana exporter shipping less, so be it!

If surplus specialized reefer tonnage is de-molished in the meantime as a conse-quence, traders, ripeners and distributors in the Med face the possibility of receiving expensive fruit shipped on unreliable third-party liner services with 30-day plus transit times, once matters do eventually settle back down. The consequence of such a change in logistics, should it happen, will be to re-shape how the banana business into the Med is conducted. If the container lines continue to remain involved in a significant way there is a good argument to suggest the banana market will continue to remain as volatile and fragmented as the politics in the region.

New management and organi-grams for Univeg group. As of 30 July, the founder of Univeg, Hein DE-PREZ, took control of the group. The DEPREZ family, with the current man-agement, teamed up with a consortium of European and South African families to fully buy up Univeg group. Hein DE-PREZ holds the post of group CEO, with Francis KINT the Managing Director and

Koen STICKER the CFO. The other managerial posi-tions remain un-changed.

Source: Univeg

0

25

50

75

100

125

1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51

Grands reefers

201320122011

US

Cent

s / C

ubft

x 3

0 jo

urs

Semaines / Source : Reefer Trends

US

Cent

s / C

ubft

x 3

0 da

ys

0255075

100125150

1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51

Petits reefers

201320122011

US

Cent

s / C

ubft

x 3

0 jo

urs

*

Semaines / Source : Reefer Trends

US

Cent

s / C

ubft

x 3

0 da

ys

Weeks / Source: Reefer Trends Weeks / Source: Reefer Trends

Small reefers Large reefers



European apples and pears

Prospects for 2013: the comeback!

As is the yearly custom, nearly 250 representatives of the apple and pear sector met for the 37th Prognosfruit Conference, which was held in early August in Prague, in the Czech Republic. Apple production in the EU-28 countries this year is set for a very good level. Without endangering any records, the harvest could approach 10.8 million tonnes (+ 7 % on 2012), in spite of the cold and wet weather conditions at the beginning of the year. Similarly, pear production should return to a near-normal level of 2.2 million tonnes (+ 18 % on 2012), especially with autumn/winter pears. However, uncertainty was the order of the day in late August as to the fruit size, though an increase was still expected for the late varieties.

THE LATEST ON...

© D

enis

Loe

illet



Apple: back in production in Western Europe, and back on the rise in Eastern Europe

After a historically low season 2012-13, the forthcom-ing season should be well-supplied. The harvest should in particular reach a good level in Eastern Europe, due to the continuous rise in production, especially in Po-land with varietal renewal and improvement in produc-tion techniques. This country is also hoping to once more achieve the record level of 3.2 million tonnes set in 2008, and so could increase its exports, especially to Russia, which has registered a drop of 14 % (1.4 million tonnes). However, the potential available for fresh fruit could be slightly curtailed for Poland. Indeed, given its quality level, some of the production should find itself diverted to the processing market.

Yet the year 2013 should above all be marked by the return to production of West European countries such as France and Italy, which last year were heavily hit by poor weather conditions. The overall production of this zone, however, should not reach a maximum, given the expected drop in supply from Germany, Greece and Belgium. However, it should at least get back to the average for the past five years. Nonetheless, we should expect the harvest forecasts, deliberately downplayed to take into account a size deficit, to be re-evaluated upward. Indeed, the average size seemed to already have risen by late August, with good water availability having enabled producers to constantly irrigate the orchards during the summer heat wave. The late varie-ties should be less affected, since the delay accumu-

THE LATEST ON...

Apple — EU-28 — Harvest forecast

000 tonnes 2013-14

Comparison with

2012-13 average for

the last 5 years

Total EU-28 10 799 + 7% + 1% of which EU-15 6 227 + 8% - 7%

Italy 2 148 + 11% - 1% France 1 507 + 29% - 1%

Germany 802 - 17% - 18% Spain 418 + 8% - 12%

Netherlands 297 + 6% - 18% Portugal 243 + 10% - 3%

Greece 217 - 10% - 14% Belgium 201 - 9% - 33%

United Kingdom 199 + 23% - 2% Austria 155 - 1% - 11%

Denmark 23 + 28% + 6% Sweden 17 + 21% - 2%

of which NMCs 4 572 + 6% + 17% Poland 3 200 + 10% + 23%

Hungary 588 - 21% + 12% Romania 375 + 7% - 7%

Czech Rep. 145 + 23% + 20% Croatia 96 + 63% + 42%

Slovakia 43 + 19% + 13% Lithuania 40 + 3% - 29%

Source: WAPA

Slovenia 76 + 69% + 20%

Apple — EU-28 — Harvest forecast by variety

000 tonnes 2013-14

Comparison with

2012-13 average

for the last 5 years

Golden Delicious 2 545 + 11% + 2% Gala 1 189 + 7% + 11% Idared 1 060 + 8% + 34% Red Delicious 569 + 5% - 15% Jonagold 464 - 2% - 28% Shampion 451 + 7% + 31% Variétés club 390 + 11% + 141% Granny Smith 352 + 17% + 3% Elstar 337 - 5% - 21% Jonagored 324 - 12% + 42% Braeburn 288 + 9% - 5% Fuji 284 + 34% + 21% Gloster 191 + 2% + 31% Jonathan 183 - 9% - 29% Cripps Pink 153 + 6% + 6% Reinette Grise 103 + 41% + 10% Morgendurf/Imperatore 66 + 25% - 7% Pinova 60 + 40% + 74% Boskoop 56 - 3% - 25% Cox Orange 42 + 11% - 45% Lobo 40 - 20% - 61% Source: WAPA

© R

égis

Dom

ergu

e



THE LATEST ON...

lated since the start of vegetative growth (10 to 15 days) still left the apples the possibility to gain in size. Similarly, the uncertainties over coloration seemed to have already cleared up by late August with the fall in night-time temperatures. Nevertheless, the fresh fruit potential will be somewhat affected by the adverse impacts of the hail storms which hit Italy and Spain in particular during spring and summer.

We should also add that while the harvest level is set to be short in Russia and China (35.5 million tonnes, i.e. - 8 %), and at best stable in Ukraine (1.1 million ton-nes, i.e. + 5 %), the United States is expecting a record harvest, which could approach 4.7 million tonnes (+ 15 % on 2012 and + 11 % on the 5-year average).

A good varietal balance

The return to production of the South European areas should result in a good harvest level of Golden Deli-cious, American Reds and Granny Smith. Certain varie-ties such as Fuji could even reach record levels. On the other hand, the shortfall from the North European pro-duction zones, especially from Germany and Benelux, should curb the supply level of seasonal varieties. Hence the Braeburn and Idared harvests should not be much above those of last year, while the tonnage could be slightly less for Elstar. However, the shortfall could be fairly large for end-of-season two-tones, with a fall of 2 % for Jonagold and 12 % for Jonagored. On the other hand, the potential for the club varieties is con-tinuing its rise (Ariane, Belgica, Cameo, Diwa, Greenstar, Honey Crunch, Jazz, Junami, Kanzi, Mariac, Rubens, Tentation, Wellant, etc.), which are now approaching 400 000 t, to which we should add 150 000 t of Cripps Pink and 60 000 t of Pinova.

Pear — EU-28 — Harvest forecast

000 tonnes 2013-14

Comparison with

2012-13 average for

the last 5 years

Total EU-28 2 236 + 18% - 4%

of which EU-15 2 103 + 18% - 4%

Italy 741 + 14% - 5%

Spain 390 + 10% - 10%

Netherlands 266 + 34% + 4%

Belgium 256 + 8% - 1%

Portugal 196 + 70% + 14%

France 153 + 23% - 7%

Germany 38 + 12% - 10%

Greece 31 - 26% - 31%

United Kingdom 25 - 11% - 15%

of which NMCs 133 + 32% + 2%

Poland 55 + 22% + 2%

Hungary 42 + 62% + 29%

Romania 20 + 5% - 31% Source: WAPA

Pear — EU-28 — Harvest forecast by variety

000 tonnes 2013-14

Comparison with

2012-13 average for

the last 5 years

Conference 794 + 14% - 1%

Abate Fetel 308 + 20% + 7%

Autres 299 + 21% - 10%

William BC 279 + 10% - 7%

Rocha 196 + 70% + 14%

Guyot/Limonera 80 + 14% - 13%

Coscia-Ercollini 74 - 4% - 21%

Comice 71 + 22% - 23%

Blanquilla 61 + 3% - 21%

Kaiser 54 + 38% + 10%

Passe-Crassane 15 - 12% - 16%

Durondeau 5 0% - 22%

Source: WAPA

© R

égis

Dom

ergu

e



THE LATEST ON...

Pear: good potential...

The harvest forecasts for the 2013-14 season are rather rosy for the pear, due to the very fine flowering period

right across Europe, and the rather sat-isfactory fruit setting overall. So

European production should be close to that for a normal year,

though with Spain a minor blot, where the potential has been pushed down by the numerous hail storms hitting the Lerida zone, as well as Greece. The har-vest is also set to be down in the United Kingdom. But

the other countries, espe-cially Italy, Portugal, France

and Benelux, are announcing near-average harvests, although

we must emphasise the shrinkage of surface area in France (- 7 % on the

5-year average), unlike in Portugal or Benelux. Note that the harvest should have a very good level in East-ern Europe and a good level in the United States.

...especially in autumn-winter varieties

Overall, this return to production should result in a good harvest level for the heavyweights of the range, such as autumn-winter pears, while summer pears have been somewhat affected by the impacts of the hail storms. Hence the Guyot harvest had a fairly good level, though without reaching its optimum of 105 000 to 115 000 tonnes. Similarly, the William Bon Chrétien harvest is returning to a fairly good level, though it is still below average for the past three years, with small sizes overall. Nonetheless the supply should subse-quently expand with the switchover to autumn-winter pears. The Abate Fetel harvest from Italy and the Rocha harvest from Portugal in particular are reportedly abun-dant, exceeding by 7 % and 14 % respectively the aver-age for the past five years, driven by the alternation effect, though without breaking any records. On the other hand, the supply of Comice and Conference, while exceeding last year’s supply, should not reach its full expression given the weather conditions in spring, which have reduced the harvest in Northern Europe

Cécilia Céleyrette, consultant [email protected]

© R

égis

Dom

ergu

e


As Mohamed says,Packhouse Manager in Rungis,

<< All the produce is fragile, so I handle it with the greatest of care. >>

Mohamed packs produce with the ultimate care. It’s all part of Compagnie Fruitière’s commitment to delivering the best quality fruit in perfect condition. Packing orders with this level of attention means Mohamed can ensure our fruit looks at its very best when it reaches our customers. And with more than 20,000 m2 of depots throughout Europe, Compagnie Fruitière is able to distribute 700,000 tonnes of fruit every year to wholesalers and retailers.

Compagnie Fruitière has more than 16,000 people working at various

stages everyday to bring you the best fruit.

Like Mohamed, we love fruit.

GROWER

IMPORTER

DISTRIBUTOR

TRANSPORTER

RIPENER


No. 214 September 2013 19

A report by Eric IMBERT

“Croissance”, “seichō”, “crecimiento” or “Wachsturm”: growth seems more universal than ever on the world avocado market, after a season 2012-13 when vol-umes traded exceeded the million tonne mark for the first time. The appetite of consumers in the United States, Canada and Japan has never been as keen, while Europe is no longer a pale shadow! Growth seems to be taking root on the old continent. On the one hand, the investments made downstream to de-velop the supply of triggered/ready-to-eat Hass are beginning to bear fruit. Furthermore, the surge in Mexican production, already very large, is disrupting the balance of the world markets, and encouraging the big South American producer countries, including Chile, to look at the EU in a different light. FruiTrop invites you to review these underlying trends.

Contents

p. 21 World avocado market in 2012-2013: a Mexican surge rocking the world market

p. 33 European avocado market in 2012-2013: the EU consolidates its reawakening!

p. 45 Forecast for the 2013-2014 avocado season: fuel to feed the growth

p. 53 The avocado sector in Colombia: assets for success on the international market

p. 58 World statistics panorama

p. 60 Post-harvest

p. 66 Quality flaws

p. 68 Varieties

© Guy Bréhinier


September 2013 No. 214

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20

World avocado market in 2012-2013 A Mexican surge rocking the world market

While Costa Rica is undoubtedly the master of the international pineapple trade, Spain of winter season citruses and Argentina is the queen of summer lemons, Mexico is every year leaving a bigger footprint on the world avocado market. The record season 2012-13 demonstrated this more than ever. But while the Mexican giant is pushing forward world trade in giant strides, it is also rocking its direct competitors, and perhaps tomorrow the supply structure to certain markets, including the European Union.

© Régis Domergue



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22

The million-tonne mark! Records are being strung together with such regu-larity on the world avocado market that we could practically forget to mention them. The one bro-ken during the 2012-13 season deserves emphasis more than ever, since a symbolic mark was passed, with one million tonnes of fruits traded interna-tionally. Despite the production alternation effects inherent to this crop and a worldwide economic context worsening across the main consumer countries in the past few years, the market has grown with metronomic regularity by 200 000 t every three years over the past decade. This excep-tional performance equates to an annual growth of more than 10 %! It is difficult to find equivalents in the world of fruits and vegetables.

Ever more for the United States The world’s leading market has not failed to live up to its reputation as the driving force behind international trade. Imports reached a historic level of 560 000 t. With this figure, this market con-firmed its accelerating growth: the annual rate of import increase was for the second consecutive season around 100 000 t per year. This perform-ance is all the more remarkable since local Califor-nian production was anything but light in 2012-13, with a harvest among the three biggest recorded since the beginning of the 2000s. The American appetite for avocado, supported by tens of mil-lions of dollars under the Hass Avocado Board’s promotion programmes (38 million in 2012 to be precise), is not waning, and if anything seems in-creasingly lively. If our estimate proves accurate, growth in consumption per inhabitant recorded in 2012-13 should be approximately 400 g/year just like last year, as opposed to approximately 100 g on average between 2000 and 2011.

And the latest projections herald a rather bright future, at least in the medium term. The major consumption areas situated in the west of the country remain as loyal as ever to the product, although the rate of increase is now below the national average, or even practically zero in Cali-fornia. But above all the growth dynamic is clearly underway on the Eastern US markets, still mainly low-consuming and therefore representing a very large potential for development. Volumes sold in the North-East, the Great Lakes region and the South-East grew in impressive proportions, by 25 to 30 % from last year during the period from January to early May.

© Guy Bréhinier



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World avocado trade General acceleration in growth in 2012-13 Summer season 2012, and winter season 2012-13

Avocado - EU-27 - Imports

173 182

224194

210239 240 226

265

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

000

tonn

es

Source: Eurostat

Avocado - United States - Imports

206 232300 320

372420

351

467

561

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

000

tonn

es

Source: customs

Avocado - Canada - Imports

19 20 22 23 24

32 3338

49

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

000

tonn

es

Source: Comtrade

Avocado - Japan - Imports

29 28 28 25 26

38 3948

62

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

000

tonn

es

Source: customs

Avocado - Evolution of world trade

486 520639 625

693804 749

865

1 032

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

000

tonn

es

Sources: professionals, customs, Comtrade

The symbolic one-million tonne mark was passed in 2012-13



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24

The other world markets are not left out this time

Another piece of good news: unlike previ-ous seasons, the world’s other big markets have not been left trailing, and their im-ports have also risen in proportions close to or even exceeding American growth. While the upward trend has been in place in Japan and Canada since 2008-09, it was the 2012-13 season that marked a note-worthy acceleration auguring well for the future. Since although the volumes sold in these countries had doubled in four years, reaching approximately 60 000 and 50 000 t respectively, the margin for progress re-mains very high. Consumption per inhabi-tant in Canada remains well below the American average, and it is barely 500 g in Japan, with a population of more than 120 million. Finally, as the cherry on top of the cake which makes this fine global perform-ance a flawless one: the EU has also seen two-figure growth for the first time in a long while. Hence volumes have risen by nearly 40 000 t from last season on the world’s second biggest market (see next article).

2 out of 3 avocados available on the international market now come from Mexico

The very etymology of the word avocado, derived from an Aztec term, is a powerful symbol of the historical link existing be-tween this fruit and Mexico. However, this relationship has never seemed as strong as this past season. Since while the spectacu-lar dynamic presented above is of course closely linked to the efforts made by down-stream professionals to boost their respec-tive markets, it is Mexico which has in prac-tically every case supplied the fuel for this growth. Its exports reached the record level of 660 000 t in 2012-13, doubling in six years. We can deem this a monumental rise, particularly in the knowledge that, at the same time, all the other big world ex-porters saw their volumes stagnate, with the exception of Peru. And even the fine growth of approximately 50 000 t in ex-ports from this source pales in comparison to the growth of more than 300 000 t growth from Mexico. Hence no longer does one out of two of the fruits on the interna-tional market originate from Mexico, as was the case in the late 2000s, but two out of three since last season.

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

0 100 200 300 400 500 600

million inhabitants

kg/c

apita

/yea

r

USA:811 000 t

Canada: 49 000 t

Japan: 62 000 t

Russia: 11 000 t

Avocado - Major world marketsAnnual consumption per capita, marketed volumes and population

Sources: professionals and customs

EU-27: 244 000 t



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26

Considerable collateral effects on Chile

While Mexico has a near-monopoly situation during the winter season in Japan and Canada, and consequently, does no-one any harm, this is not the case in the United States. Chile, a direct competitor on this market, previously managed to export under decent economic conditions approximately two-thirds of its potential to this historical customer. But last season, it suffered heavily from the surge of imports from Mi-choacán. Faced with clearly falling prices not profitable for a source whose shipment costs are higher, Chilean professionals have had to divert their flows to other markets. Hence in 2012-13 the EU became the leading destination for Chil-ean fruits, receiving more than 60 % of total ex-ports, with the share to the US market falling to just over 20 %. True, the Chilean harvest was rather modest in 2012-13, but the former looks very much like a major strategic turning point for Chile and for the Community market, if we analyse recent developments in the Mexican industry.

Avocado - Chile - Production outlets

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

Sources: Chilean customs, Comité de Palta

EU

USA

domestic

Avocado - Exports from main world suppliers

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

000

tonn

es

Professional sources

Mexico

Chile

Peru

Spain

SouthAfrica

Israel

© E

ric Im

bert



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28

Mexican exports more than ever on the path of growth

All the indicators show that the growth trend in Mexican exports does not seem ready to stop, far from it. The crop remains highly profitable, so much so that it is being rav-aged by local mafias demanding producers pay them for “protection”. According to official sources, the cultivation area amounted to nearly 170 000 ha in 2013, of which probably more than 30 000 ha is not yet producing. And it keeps growing at a dizzying pace: the annual rate of increase, of around 8 000 ha in 2011 and 2012, was re-portedly more than 17 000 ha in 2013! Although these figures, which are not derived from stringent surveying, should be taken with caution, they clearly illustrate the trend. Furthermore, yields are rising particularly due to

the investments made to improve phytosanitary control on the plantations (vast programme with a budget of 2 million USD funded in 2010 by APEAM). Hence produc-tion reportedly reached a level of between 1.3 and 1.4 million tonnes in 2012-13, according to sources.

In addition, the percentage of fruits eligible for export to the United States is continuing to rise, with the extension of the area approved by the American sanitary authori-ties. It was 75 000 ha in 2012-13, as opposed to approxi-mately 50 000 ha at the end of the decade 2000-10 in Michoacán, the state which could soon no longer be the only one entitled to export to the United States. Jalisco, whose cultivation area amounts to more than 4 000 ha, has also been in negotiations for several years to be able to access this precious market.

Avocado — Mexico — Exports by destination

tonnes 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Total 256 236 308 368 400 987 370 927 364 457 462 737 657 445

USA 172 132 231 740 315 620 274 329 283 814 359 262 522 488

Japan 22 799 23 588 25 330 34 473 35 159 42 354 55 883

Canada 16 586 18 143 20 474 25 435 22 687 27 431 35 044

EU 8 940 12 445 13 434 10 807 3 155 4 153 9 137

Others 35 779 22 452 26 128 25 883 19 642 29 537 34 893 Sources: Mexican customs - July to June period

© Régis Domergue



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Avocado - Mexico - Exports (000 tonnes)and word market share (%)

256308

401371 364

463

657

58%

49%

40%

46%49%

53%

64%

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Source: customs

1.40

1.50

1.60

1.70

1.80

1.90

2.00

2.10

2.20

2.30

2.40

09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13

Source: customs

USD

/kg

Japan

Canada

USA

EU

Average differencebetween EU and other markets

2009/10-2011/12: 0.47 USD2012/13: 0.09 USD

Avocado - Mexico - Customs value by market



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30

Mexico too on the lookout for diversification markets

Is the Michoacán avocado industry about to over-heat? The question must be asked, in view of such a spectacular dynamic. It may be the case in terms of the environment. More and more voices are being raised to condemn the adverse effects on the environment of deforestation caused by the new plantations, and the massive use of fertil-isers and pesticides due to the surface areas in-volved. The authorities commissioned the Univer-sity of Michoacán to conduct a diagnostic. While on a commercial level the balance is still satisfac-tory, certain professionals are starting to ask questions. Development of diversification mar-kets seems more than ever to be on the agenda.

The total volumes exported outside of the United States are increasingly substantial, reaching 135 000 t in 2012-13. It should continue to grow in the future, and the EU could soon no longer be the one left out. Analysis of the customs values for last season reveals that the gap between the prices obtained in the EU and on the other mar-kets, still very significant in 2011-12, narrowed very considerably in 2012-13. Furthermore, Mexi-can exporters did not miss the trick, and ship-ments to the Old Continent approached the 10 000 t mark, whereas they had peaked at 3 000-4 000 t in the previous seasons. This probably heralds a more marked comeback. From a Euro-pean perspective, the increasingly heavy foot-print left by Mexico on the world market seems in any case to be synonymous with an expanded supply, whether from Mexico or Chile

Eric Imbert, CIRAD [email protected]

Mexico — Avocado — Harvest calendar

J A S O N D J F M A M J

Flor loca

Aven-tajada

Normal

Marceña

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enis

Loe

illet

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Con

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European avocado market in 2012-2013

The EU consolidates its reawakening!

The European market was palpably just ripe to take flight. Last season showed that this feeling was justified. Volumes sold on the old continent during the period encompassing the 2012 summer season and the 2012-13 winter season approached 265 000 t, a level never previously reached. Besides this figure, the increase from the previous season is equally interesting: the additional 40 000 t on the market confirms that a new consumption dynamic has taken hold in Europe.

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34

Increased appeal of the European market for South American sources

This fine performance rewards the work of the down-stream segment, which has been able to set up a mechanism aimed at increasing consumption by ex-panding the supply of ripened or triggered Hass (see FruiTrop no.203, September 2012). Yet it also demon-strates that the South American exporter countries are looking at the EU much more favourably than before. Indeed, this additional 40 000 t should not be sought in “captive” sources of the Community market. Imports kept to within the usual range for the traditional suppli-ers Israel and Spain during the winter season, and South Africa during the summer season, although this country’s growth has been very strong after a 2011 sea-son disrupted by climate vagaries.

It is Chile which has supplied most of the fuel that has fed the growth of the Community market. Despite an average harvest, volumes exported to Europe by the world’s number three supplier were up by nearly 10 000 t, to exceed 40 000 t. The reason for this performance, achieved only twice in the past, should be highlighted, as it is unprecedented: Chilean professionals have for-saken their historical market, the United States, and shipped more than 60 % of their total volumes to the EU. Another significant change: Mexican exporters, who had haughtily ignored Europe in 2010-11 and 2011-12, setting aside no more than 3 000 to 4 000 t for it, have come back in force by shipping nearly 10 000 t.

In both these cases, this change of direction, due to a fall in prices on the other international markets, seems more structural than short-term (see previous article). Furthermore, we must also highlight the very good level of Peruvian imports holding up during the 2012 summer season, despite the US market being open for the first time throughout the season (see FruiTrop no.210, April 2013). All these trends attest to the con-solidated or intensified interest from these sources in the European market.

Avocado — European Union — Main supplying countries tonnes 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Total 170 843 172 759 183 060 223 026 194 194 210 074 239 096 239 613 225 443 264 592 Total in counter-season 68 937 63 042 83 615 83 984 89 457 115 539 104 301 120 933 111 936 132 852

Total winter season 101 906 109 717 99 446 139 042 104 737 94 535 134 795 118 680 113 507 131 740

Israel 25 299 50 481 26 538 55 931 25 936 30 071 38 522 38 512 40 355 35 117 Chile 4 046 11 532 17 801 40 379 25 692 15 832 51 383 25 244 32 637 41 074 Mexico 18 705 16 516 20 769 10 289 12 695 11 647 9 326 3 371 2 909 9 085 Spain 53 000 29 854 32 400 30 140 35 300 32 930 31 420 44 460 33 270 42 000 Dom. Rep. 842 1 264 901 2 209 3 105 2 077 3 016 3 621 1 312 2 451 Morocco - 1 698 1 908 977 3 346 2 803 840 Colombia 11 7 9 2 - 25 51 121 121 486 United States 3 63 1 028 92 311 45 101 5 100 687 Source: Eurostat

Avocado - EU-27 - Imports

173 182

224

194210

239 240226

265

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

000

tonn

es

Source: Eurostat

© Guy Bréhinier



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36

A late Christmas…

It is true that the EU was not short of assets dur-ing the 2012-13 winter season. Despite the size of the supply, the average price for Hass rose significantly. The indicator calculated by our ob-servatory, taking size 18 as the base, equated to 9.40 euros per box, a record level never previ-ously reached, and more than 15 % above the four-year average! It was the post-Christmas pe-riod which made the difference: around usual in the first part of the season, the rates literally ex-ploded after the end-of-year holidays, with an average level in excess of 10 euros/box until early May.

A market balance more solid than ever

This historic average sale price level was achieved with more than 11 weeks when the weekly supply was more than 1.3 million boxes during the period from early October to late April. Previously, this level had never been reached for more than 7 weeks, and even then it only occurred in 2009-10 when the average sale price for Hass had plummeted to 7.40 euros per box, its worst level over the past five years. The one million box per week mark, which in the not-so-distant past was considered by professionals as the market’s stalling threshold, is now synony-mous with price rises. The 2012-13 season showed that the market balance could withstand supply levels of around 1.3 to 1.4 million boxes without weakening, and the breakthrough came when the 1.5 million boxes per week mark was exceeded for several weeks in a row.

Avocado - Chile - Exports by destination

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

Source: Chilean customs

000

tonn

es

Europe

USA

Central andSouthAmerica

Japan +Asia

95

119 114

132

135

7.1

9.49.0

7.98.0

08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13

Sources: Eurostat, CIRAD

Volume (000 t)

Price (euro/box)

Avocado Hass - EU-27 - Supply and average priceduring the winter season

(size 18, import stage, France)

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bert


5 boulevard du Delta - Zone Eurodelta, 94658 RUNGIS • [email protected] • Tél. +33 1 46 86 71 77 • Fax +33 1 46 86 80 43

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Green varieties: no catastrophe, but a barely average market despite a highly promising context

2012-13 was to be the big danger season for the green varieties, increasingly ostracised by the big distributors in Western Europe. Though the sea-son was indeed difficult, it was not catastrophic. As proof of this, the average prices for the season recorded between October and April even exhib-ited a level slightly above the four-year average. This can be brought down to average if we ex-clude the month of April, when the rates of green varieties were driven by the take-off of those of Hass and by the weakness of the Fuerte supply from the Southern Hemisphere. Nonetheless, while the market has held up, it did not enjoy the prevailing euphoria of Hass. The outlet for the green varieties is clearly increasingly narrow. In France, for example, the market can no longer rely on the discount supermarkets, with the exception of some very temporary promotions, with a now much smaller number of the traditional shops.

In this context the marketing strategy of this varie-tal group in Europe is more than ever based on price aggressiveness, seeking a “market-oriented” price from the beginning of the season and the implementation of promotions. Hence the price gap with the market ruling variety, of approxi-mately 1.5 to 2.5 euros per box in 2010-11, contin-ued to grow in 2012-13, reaching a historic level of 3.60 euros. This indicates that for a growing num-ber of European distributors, Hass and green va-rieties are no longer interchangeable.

2.21.6

2.4

3.3 3.6

9.4

8.0

7.1

7.9

9.0

5.85.8 5.5 5.5 5.6

08/09 09/10 10/11 11/12 12/13

Source: Cirad

euro

/box

DifferenceHassGreen varieties

Avocado - EU-27 - Price for Hass and green varietiesand difference

(size 18, import stage, France)

© Eric Imbert

© Guy Bréhinier



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Consumption: the traditional markets are doing better...

Which countries absorbed these additional volumes? France, the leading Euro-pean market by volumes, demonstrated that it could achieve the same in terms of vitality; it was this market which registered the best rise this season, selling over 6 500 tonnes more than in 2011-12. This increase con-firms that the level of 1.3 kg/inhabitant consumed at present is far from being a cei l ing, an observation which should be further recognised by Chi lean, Mexican and South African exporters, who systemati-cally omit the French market from their promotion pro-grammes.

Scandinavia confirmed its place as the second Euro-pean market, which it seized last season from the United Kingdom. Growth did not weaken, at 15 % for a tenth c o n s e c u t i v e s e a s o n o f growth. It is not showing any signs of running out of steam in Sweden or Den-mark, though volumes ab-sorbed there per inhabitant are now well above 2 kg, and 4 times in excess of the European average. Norway has continued to grow, though at a slower rate. Furthermore, this season has also confirmed the awakening of the Finnish market, which is still very much under-consuming.

The United Kingdom also found the path to growth once more, after four highly sluggish seasons in succes-sion. Consumption was up by slightly more than 3 000 t, reaching a still low level, barely more than 600 g/inhabitant.

Avocado — Consumption in Europe (EU-27 + Norway)

Estimated marketed

volume in 2012-13

(tonnes)

Population in millions

Consumption per capita

(grams)

2012-13 compared to

GNP-PPS (index) 2011-12

average 2008-09 to

2011-12

EU-27 + Norway 244 102 495 493 + 9% + 12% 100

EU-15 + Norway 233 340 391 596 + 7% + 10% -

France 80 214 63 1 265 + 9% + 5% 113

Scandinavia 42 454 25 1 733 + 15% + 39% 134

Sweden 19 415 9 2 133 + 12% + 37% 120

Denmark 12 415 5 2 299 + 16% + 26% 127

Norway 7 417 5 1 578 + 8% + 50% 187

Finland 3 207 5 605 + 52% + 102% 116

United Kingdom 37 121 61 611 + 9% + 8% 119

Germany 24 919 82 303 + 10% + 30% 114

Spain 15 630 45 351 - - 102

Netherlands 12 380 16 755 - - 132

Belgium 6 113 11 577 + 31% + 76% 123

Italy 4 993 59 84 + 10% + 11% 104

Portugal 2 927 11 276 - - 74

Austria 2 342 8 282 - 15% - 1% 129

Ireland 2 053 4 477 + 17% - 4% 143

Greece 1 991 11 178 - - 97

Luxemburg 204 1 408 - 8% - 4% 279

Eastern Europe NMCs 10 763 102 105 + 53% + 70% 54

Poland 2 797 38 73 + 57% + 29% 53

Baltic states 3 512 7 502 + 5% + 62% 60

Czech Rep. 958 10 93 + 62% + 61% 79

Slovakia 575 5 107 + 25% + 60% 64

Hungary 627 10 62 + 38% + 53% 65

Slovenia 930 2 465 - - 89

Romania 1 039 22 48 + 191% + 177% 38

Bulgaria 324 8 42 + 8% + 44% 37

Note: period from June 2012 to May 2013 / Import-export+production / Sources: Eurostat, FAO, professionals



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40

...and the outsiders are making strong progress

The fine growth of Germany will come as a sur-prise to no-one, so obvious has the emergence of this market been in day-to-day sales. Volumes were up by approximately 2 500 t from last sea-son, and by more than 10 000 t in four years. But the increase was probably much greater for Hass. This cultivar has continued to replace the green varieties to a large extent, even among some discount supermarkets, thereby contributing greatly to the European market tension felt over the past few seasons for this variety. This trend has certainly not finished, since the 300 g per inhabitant consumed annually is still a long way behind the European average.

Another piece of good news: the Italian market seems to be getting moving, which is hinted at by the growing interest in Hass from an increas-ing number of distributors in the country. Italy currently consumes less than 5 000 t of avocado, despite nearly 60 million inhabitants.

Finally, the increase recorded in the Eastern EU countries should also be highlighted. The quanti-ties sold have doubled in five years, to exceed the 10 000 t mark for the first time. The upturn in growth registered in 2012-13 is probably due to the fall in interest from the Western EU in green varieties, which have found a place thanks to their appealing prices in this intermediate GDP zone. No surprise that Poland, the main market, grew the most significantly thanks to its 40 mil-lion inhabitants. Just as in Germany, the margin for growth remains colossal in nearly all the countries in the zone, where consumption re-mains around 100 g/inhabitant or less (except in the Baltic States and Slovenia).

Avocado - France - Retail price

0.970.94

0.85

0.780.78

0.85

0.72

0.550.58

0.520.520.53

0.61

0.52

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

Source: SNM

euro

/fru

it Loose

Net

© Guy Bréhinier



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The 20 confirmed its return to grace, to the detriment of the 16

2012-13 also confirmed the changes seen over the past few years in the sizing preferences of certain markets. Hence size 20 confirmed its re-turn to grace, after until recently struggling to find its place in France both on the bulk segment, where the bigger fruits were favoured, and the loose segment, where the smaller fruits made up most of the volumes. Indeed, the additional cost due to the triggering operation, of around 50 to 80 eurocents, led nearly all distributors to down-size and incorporate the 20 in the bulk supply, alongside the 18. Now it is the 16 which appears to be becoming a black sheep in France.

Watch out for retail prices!

The efforts as described in the previous para-graph to retain a market-oriented price are sub-stantial, and need to be intensified. This is a big challenge, since the avocado has become consid-erably more expensive at the retail stage over the past few seasons. The average price per piece reached 97 eurocents in 2012-13, up 3 % from last season and 25 % from the 2008-10 average. This is a rise in proportion to the quayside price increases, but completely disconnected from the inflation of approximately 10 % on the fruits shelves and of under 6 % for all food categories. At present, the average retail price of the avo-cado in France is approximately 30 % more ex-pensive than in the United States, where the av-erage level was 97 USD cents in 2012-13, i.e. 74 eurocents!

Avocado - France - Evolution of inflation and retail prices (index 100: 2008/09)

85

90

95

100

105

110

115

120

125

130

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

Sources: Insee, CIRAD

food section

fruit section

avocado

© Eric Imbert

© Guy Bréhinier



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42

What are the solutions to make it more appeal-ing, without necessarily gnawing into the mar-gins of the various intermediaries? On the one hand, economies of scale can probably be made in the ripening and packing operations. But other paths can also be explored. The 4 kg box may not be the most economic form of packing, and it will be less and less justified given the market growth. We should recall that in the United States, the standard is the “lug” of just over 11 kg.

Net-packed segment going wrong

Another confirmation we had in 2012-13 was the slowdown in sales on the avocado net-packed segment. This trend forces us to discuss restructuring the entry-level supply. While the product is doing its job in terms of price (55 eurocents on average at the retail stage for 2012-13 in France), the quality is still too often disappointing for the consumer: heterogeneity, over or under-maturity, or even inability to ripen. Should we not apply to this market the same formula as the one that helped revive the bulk segment, namely offering a higher quality product, even if it is slightly more expensive? Should we not think about a supply of triggered small fruits packed in an economic package? The British market has demonstrated that offering such a product in flow pack was not like trying to square a circle.

Promotion still organised peripherally

These discussions about the retail price level and the appeal of the supply should be consid-ered with care. Let’s not forget that the price remains practically the only lever for stimulating sales on a European market, where the avocado promotion actions are still sporadic and re-gional. We can lament once more the absence, even in rough form, of an entity responsible for promotion in Europe working along the lines of the diabolically efficient model of the American HAB. While the EU has been able to establish over the past few years a much more appealing supply for the consumer, and bring in more vol-umes, it is still lacking this third pillar to cultivate solid development of the European market


© Eric Imbert

© Régis Domergue



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The summer 2013 avocado season: a fine summer which could have been magnificent…

The 2013 summer season confirmed the accelerating growth of the European avocado market. According to our estimate, the total volumes supplied by Peru, South Africa and Kenya exceeded the 150 000 t mark. With this increase of nearly 15 % from last season, a new supply record to the Community market has just been broken. Imports from South Africa only returned to the upper range, after an abnormally light 2012 season. On the other hand, shipments from Peru leapt up by more than 20 000 t to exceed 85 000 t. So exports from this source will for the first time have surmounted the 100 000 t mark, if we add the 20 000 to 21 000 t shipped to the United States. Only Kenya saw its volumes wane this season. This fall shows an-other main trend of the Community market: the de-creasing interest in green varieties, whether they come from Kenya or elsewhere. Fuerte, Pinkerton and other Reeds accounted for no more than 15 % of the world supply this season, though they still repre-sented half of the market ten years ago and one third of volumes in 2008-09.

The performance is also fine in terms of price. Our indicator based on the size 18 is 7.70 euros/box, a level up 3 % from last season and approaching the absolute record of 7.80 euros/box of 2011-12. How-ever, the season had an awful start. Indeed the market was paying between 5.50 and 6.50 euros/box for a long period from late May to mid-July because of the excessive supply (between 1.5 and 1.6 million boxes per week) received for several weeks starting in early May, and the insufficient maturity level of some mer-chandise. A pity, since better upstream control of the quantities and oil content could have made it possible to beat the absolute record for price and volumes.

Avocado — EU-27 — Counter-season imports from major sources

tonnes 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013* Total S. hemisphere

68 937 63 042 83 615 83 984 89 457 115 539 104 301 120 933 111 936 132 852 150 500

Southern Africa** 36 404 30 528 47 906 36 589 38 445 51 109 38 821 47 800 27 375 49 083 46 000

Peru 11 266 14 590 18 096 30 508 35 857 49 829 45 661 56 345 66 155 62 618 86 000

Kenya 19 828 16 236 15 458 13 641 11 999 11 841 15 038 14 123 15 028 17 078 14 000 * estimate / ** South Africa + Zimbabwe + Zwaziland / Source: Eurostat

Avocado Hass - EU-27 - Supply and average price during the counter-season

May to September(size 18, import stage, France)

116121

112

133

104

151

7.17.1

7.8

7.5

7.3

7.7

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Sources: Eurostat, CIRAD

Volume (000 t)

Price (euro/box)

© Régis Domergue



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Forecast for the 2013-2014 avocado season

Fuel to feed the growth

There should be a larger supply to the European market during this winter season 2013-14 now getting underway. On the one hand, the cumulative supply from the Mediterranean suppliers will probably be up slightly. On the other hand, imports from South America should continue to rise. A growth trend in the supply with which we should be rather pleased, given the growth dynamic in consumption!

© E

ric Im

bert



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46

Optimal climate and expanding surface areas in Israel

The Mediterranean supply should not break any records, but nonetheless it is set to be higher than last season. The Israeli harvest promises to have an excellent level, both in terms of volume (between 95 000 and 100 000 t depending on the sources), and fruit size. The rise in produc-tion, estimated at 10 to 20 % from the previous season, depending on the sources, is due to the absence of climate vagaries, and the young or-chards planted over the past few years entering into production or reaching their prime. Export-ers will need to continue to come to terms with an increasingly demanding local market. On the one hand, the Israeli appetite for the avocado is still growing, particularly for the green varieties such as Ettinger and Reed. On the other hand, the local qualitative standards are similar to those for merchandise aimed at the international market.

However, exports should be able to reach a level of between 52 000 and 55 000 t, as opposed to 42 500 t in 2012-13. The increase should be par-ticularly considerable for Pinkerton and Hass, among the most planted varieties these past few years, and which are suffering less than the oth-ers from local competition. This growth dynamic in volumes should remain in place over the next few years, since planting is still going strong (300 to 500 ha per year). Nonetheless, one point should still be monitored: the spread of the pest Ambrosia and of Fusarium, with which it is associated. According to Israeli scientists, this complex is currently present in northern Negev and throughout the central belt, i.e. a part of the country in which 35 to 40 % of the cultivation area is packed. While the effects on productiv-ity seem moderate at present, the threat nonetheless remains serious. The system enabling effective management of this complex, while pre-serving the highly envi-ronmentally-friendly pro-duction system currently in place in the country, has not yet been fully developed.

Avocado — Israel — Exports

tonnes 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

EU-27 30 071 38 522 38 512 40 355 35 117

Others 1 929 4 678 5 188 3 645 7 383

Total 32 000 43 200 43 700 44 000 42 500

Sources: professional, Eurostat

Avocado — Production and exports

tonnes Production

2012-13 Trend 2013-14

on 2012-13 Exports 2012-13

Mexico 1 400 000 = 657 400

Chile 165 000 + 25 % 68 000

Israel 82 000 + 10 to 20 % 42 500

Spain 60 000

to 65 000 - 10 to 20 % 49 800

Morocco 8 000 + 150 % 850


Avocado - Israel - Production

87

46

92

5257

78.285 88

82

95*

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

13/1

4

* estimates / Professional sources

000

tonn

es



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Morocco’s small industry resurfacing after the freeze of 2012-13

2013-14 is set to be a record season for Morocco’s small industry. The Hass harvest could approach 8 000 t, a spectacular rise from the meagre 3 000 t produced during the previous season, because of the freeze that occurred in the winter of 2012. This increase is due to a strong production alter-nation effect, typical after a season hit by a climate problem, and to the entry into pro-duction of some of the young orchards planted over the past few years. The har-vest is set to be average for Bacon, and rather low for Fuerte.

Growth should remain in place over the coming years, as the young orchards reach their prime. Furthermore, the grants imple-mented by the Government to acquire frost protection systems could restart a planting dynamic which had been impeded by the effects of the winter frost in 2012.

© E

ric Im

bert



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48

Spanish production smaller but with better size

Spanish producers have not been as fortunate as their Israeli and Moroccan counterparts. A downward production alternation effect and a rotten spring should cause the harvest to fall by 10 to 20 %, though the temperate summer has helped limit the damage, thanks to physiologi-cal drop being lower than usual. However, ex-ports should shrink to a lesser degree. The size range, extremely poor last season, will return to a better level, helping limit sorting rejects.

So achieving a par with last season is not im-possible, particularly for Hass which seems less affected by the fall in production than the green varieties (particularly Bacon, whose har-vest this season seems minimal). Few changes are expected in the medium term: production and exports should remain within the variation range for the past few seasons, with the Anda-lusian cultivation area having stabilised over the past few years.

Avocado — Spain — Exports

tonnes 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Intra EU-27 32 930 31 420 44 461 33 272 42 039

Extra EU-27 1 995 4 980 1 804 4 750 7 717

Total 34 925 36 401 46 265 38 022 49 756 From October to May or April / Source: Eurostat

Avocado - Spain - Andalusian production

4550

40

64

4447

40*

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

13/1

4


000

tonn

es

© Régis Domergue


We are specialists in the trade of avocado. We import and export so that we can offer our customers the best product all year round. We work every day of the year with all these varieties: Pinkerton, Hass, Fuerte, Bacon and Reed.

Reyes Gutiérrez ESPAÑ[email protected] de Málaga s/nApdo. de correos 6529700 Vélez-Málaga (ESPAÑA)

Reyes Gutiérrez [email protected] Bis Avenue Roger Salengro78360 Montesson(FRANCE)

Reyes Gutiérrez PERÚ[email protected]: +34 639 70 75 37Lima (PERÚ)

www.reyesgutierrez.com



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50

A fine Chilean harvest, despite recurrent climate problems

Like last season, most of the fuel necessary to feed the market growth should come from South America. The harvest is set to reach a good level in Chile, and should even be among the best three or four for the past dec-ade. The 200 000 to 210 000 t expected marks a 25 % increase from last season. Drought has remained re-current for the past three years in certain zones (Petorca valley), and frost has taken its share from the highly exposed orchards on the plains, but there has been a marked upward production alternation effect.

The local market, whose vitality has surprised even the most optimistic over the past few years, should con-tinue to grow, despite a consumption per inhabitant already reaching around 5.5 kg/year. It could absorb 100 000 t, a symbolic level already approached last season. Nonetheless, the export potential should also be close to 100 000 t, thereby marking a steep rise from the 68 000 t exported in 2012-13. To which mar-kets will these volumes go? Will the EU be the main destination of the Chilean avocado like last year?

Chile — Avocado — Exports

tonnes 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Europe 16 974 52 174 25 762 32 929 42 571

USA 55 373 134 596 54 383 73 795 14 710

Central and South America 2 345 5 971 5 900 7 342 8 888

Japan + Asia 224 1 703 393 1 638 1 283 Total 74 916 194 444 86 439 115 703 67 452 Source: Chilean customs

Avocado - Chile - Production

160140

219

153

104

300

160 165

200 205*

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

13/1

4


000

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© Guy Bréhinier


Quality made to measure

Tel : 03 87 57 56 50Fax : 03 87 57 56 51

E-mail : [email protected]

AZ GRAND ESTAZ TOURAINE

Tel : 02 47 49 30 30Fax : 02 47 29 01 84


AZ FRANCE - RUNGIS

Tel : 01 41 80 33 33 Fax : 01 46 86 23 16


AZ MED - CAVAILLON

Tel : 04 90 06 66 00Fax : 04 90 96 66 16


Avocadofrom

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52

A scenario similar to that of 2012-13 in the United States?

The answer to this question is related firstly to the pres-sure that Mexican exporters will place on the United States, which should remain very high if we believe the initial information gathered about the 2013-14 season in Michoacán. On the one hand, the fall from last season in volumes of “flor loca”, observed since the beginning of the season, does not reflect the overall harvest, which is set to be at least as big as in 2012-13 for the other flowers representing the bulk of production; this is not astonishing given the increase in cultivation areas (see previous article). On the other hand, the proportion of the Michoacán cultivation area entitled to export to the United States will continue to increase. So logically we can expect that the favourable market conditions seen in the United States in September will not last, and that prices will approach those of last season with the growth in volumes of “flor aventajada”.

Could the very likely fall in the Californian harvest ex-pected in 2014-15, after two successive very big sea-sons, open the door to the United States market a little wider? Probably, but this opening should not be really perceptible before early March 2014, too late for the Chilean 2013-14 season. Hence, Chilean exporters are planning to export 50 % of their volumes to Europe, i.e. approximately 50 000 t. We must also predict the flow out of Mexico at least maintaining a level equivalent to last season.

If all these hypotheses are confirmed, the overall supply to the Community market should be up by approxi-mately 20 000 t from last season, and approach 150 000 t. A record level, it is true, but one which seems alto-gether manageable given the consumption dynamic. We should recall that in 2012-13 the European market absorbed approximately 20 000 t more than in 2011-12 during the winter season, while achieving an excep-tional performance in terms of price. So, though the scenario seems rather favourable, a question mark re-mains. How will the green varieties do in a market even more narrow than in 2012-13, with the closure of the line this season by certain discount supermarkets, espe-cially in France?


Avocado — Mexico — Exports

tonnes 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

USA 315 620 274 329 283 814 359 262 522 488

Japan 25 330 34 473 35 159 42 354 55 883

Canada 20 474 25 435 22 687 27 431 35 044

EU 13 434 10 807 3 155 4 153 9 137

Others 26 128 25 883 19 642 29 537 34 893

Total 400 987 370 927 364 457 462 737 657 445 Source: Mexican customs

Avocado - Mexico - Production

1430

1264

1107

11661125

1014

10501016

934

1430*

04/0

5

05/0

6

06/0

7

07/0

8

08/0

9

09/1

0

10/1

1

11/1

2

12/1

3

13/1

4

* estimate / Source: USDA

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What will be the impact on Mexican production of the torrential rains battering the country throughout the second 10 days of September? Impossible to day at the time of going to press, but the extent of the phenomenon is historic, with a total of more than 500 mm on the coast of Michoacán and more than 1 000 mm in Guer-rero, the worst hit state. Significant losses could radically change the scenario of this sea-son 2013-14, given the more than ever key role played by Mexico in this industry. FruiTrop will review the situation in the next edition.

Last minute: Michoacán hit by hurricanes “Manuel” and “Astrid”

© Régis Domergue



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The avocado sector in Colombia

Assets for success on the international market

What about the Colombian avocado industry? While this country is still practically invisible on the world market, the tens of containers exported over the past few seasons and the presence of a growing number of Colombian professionals at international trade shows are generating a buzz, particularly in the current context of the tension on the international market. So will the northern Andes bear nothing but a mouse, or is the sleeping giant about to wake?

© Je

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54

A major historic producer, yet completely unknown

Very few people, even among the industry profes-sionals, know that Colombia is a heavyweight of the avocado world. Yet with an estimated harvest of around 250 000 t, it is the world’s fifth biggest producer. The crop has a history in this country, which was even one of the first where “a fruit that looks like a pear but that is eaten like butter” was described in the early 16th Century by the Span-ish chronicler Gonzalo Hernandez de Oviedo. The lack of international visibility of this major pro-ducer is due primarily to the scale of its local mar-ket, on the strength of its 47 million inhabitants, which still absorbs nearly all of the production, until recently comprising local or green varieties. You need only visit the country and order a “comida corriente” in Bogota, Medellin or Cali to see to what extent this fruit is an integral part of the diet, just like rice or the famous “patacon”, pieces of fried plantain served partly crushed.

Avocado — World — Production

tonnes 2012-13

Mexico 1 430 000

Dom. Rep.* 295 000

Indonesia* 276 000

United States 258 000

Colombia 250 000 * FAO 2011 / Professional sources

47

3529

2623

18

4.2

5.25.9

7.2

9.3

10.5

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012* 2013*

Source: consejo nacional del Aguacate

Production (000 t)

Areas (000 ha)

Hass avocado - Colombia - Production and planted areas

© R

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A minor revolution is underway

Hass has a recent history in Colombia, though things are rapidly changing in this country, which will not surprise those with even a little knowledge of Colombia or the Colombians. The variety was introduced very late, in 1991 and apparently almost by chance! This short history began with the first tree being brought into the country following on from the 5th World Avocado Congress in California, where all the participants were offered a plant. After an abortive attempt in the 90s, the cultivation area really started to grow starting from the early 2000s, reaching just under 6 000 ha at the end of the decade.

But producers appear to have changed gear over the past few years: the rate of planting has risen to a level of between 1 200 and 2 000 ha per year since 2010. Hence the cultivation area reportedly reached 10 500 ha in 2013, if we can believe the latest official statistics, i.e. a similar level to Peru, and the rate of growth does not seem set to weaken in the medium term. Planting is primarily concentrated on the slopes of the northern part of the Western Andes. The cropping zone, very roughly situ-ated between the south of Antioquia Depart-ment and the north of Valle Department, is approximately 200 km long, and passes through the coffee-growing region (Caldas, Risaralda, Quindio) and northern Tolima.

A political climate now favourable for harnessing the country’s great pedoclimatic potential

Why such growth? There are multiple reasons. First of all, the pedoclimatic conditions are in place. Temperatures are well suited to grow-ing Hass in the Andes belt, within a strip at an altitude of between 1 600 and 2 400 m where the risks of frost are still practically zero. The soil is high quality and water abundant, with the country actually able to boast an irrigation rate of more than 25 %, among the highest in Latin America.

On the other hand, the political climate, which has become much more stable since the end of the decade 2000-10, is finally favourable for investment. A large proportion of agricultural land, until recently unusable since it was in guerrilla hands, has become accessible once more.

Finally, producers want to take advantage of a steeply growing international market (see previous article), especially since prices charged locally are no longer as lucrative as in the past. While domestic demand is still strong, contraband of fruits from Venezuela and Ecuador is a major destabilising factor. In

Avocado — Colombia — Varietal distribution in 2013

Hass 10 500

Local and creole varieties 17 500

Total 28 000 Source: Consejo Nacional del Aguacate

© Jean-Pierre Coulet



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56

this context, the National Avocado Council was set up in 2008 to unite this emerging industry, provide technical support and represent it both locally and internationally. It brings together players from the private sector (producers, exporters, nursery opera-tors, etc.) and the public sector (the research centre ICA, the sanitary control service SENA, etc.).

Assets to gain a choice place on the international market

Colombia possesses plenty of assets to be competi-tive in exports. A good proportion of the farmers growing avocado have solid experience of the de-mands of the international markets, acquired in the coffee industry. Furthermore, the Colombian avo-cado seems well placed in terms of price competi-tiveness. True, labour costs are high because of the location of the orchards on hills, and the agricul-tural inputs, marketed by a few suppliers with an oligopoly, are very expensive. However, despite these two factors, a study shows that the produc-tion costs are apparently lower than those of Chile and similar to those of Mexico.

Furthermore, the country occupies a highly envi-able geographic position for exporting. The main production zone is less than one day by lorry from the big Caribbean ports (Cartagena, Santa Marta), which are 10-12 days from Europe, and 5 days from the USA. Furthermore, the port of Buenaventura, also situated near the production zones but on the Pacific Coast, is a choice gateway for rapidly serving the Western United States and Asia. The logistical assets of the country are not limited solely to transit times, since the cost of freight is also much lower than for other Latin American countries: 4000 euros per TEU to reach the EU in March 2013, as opposed to 5 000 to 6 000 euros for Peru, for instance.

Avocado — Colombia — Production calendar

A S O N D J F M A M J J

Eastearn Antioquia

Northern Tolima

Coffee area

South-Eastern Antioquia

Popayan

Northern Valle

Source: Consejo Nacional del Aguacate

© Guy Bréhinier



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Finally, as the cherry on the cake, the production calendar is also among the most appealing. While the season starts in October, as in many exporter countries, it can run until March-April thanks to the plantations situated at higher altitude.

An operational and growing export industry

True, not everything is rosy. The level of road and port infrastructures is a weak point, as is the cost of inputs, as already mentioned. Furthermore, the best plant stock could not always be introduced into the country for sanitary reasons. Nonetheless, the negative column of the balance sheet seems much lighter than the positive column. In this context, it is no surprise that an export industry is getting going.

Of course the movement is discreet, or even transparent, on the international market. Exports recorded in 2013, which reached their highest ever known level, were only approximately 500 t. Yet they will doubtless grow very considerably in the short term. The harvest, still modest and esti-mated at less than 30 000 t in 2013, will grow rap-idly with the entry into production of young or-chards over the past few years.

On the other hand, the sector is professionalising, with in particular the rise of many GlobalGap cer-tified producers and the increase in the average size of farms. The sector is also having three new packing stations installed, which should soon join the two currently in service (Aproare Cooperative, in El Retiro in Antioquia Province, and Frutales Las Lajas in Zarzal in Valle Department).

Ambitions to match the country’s assets

The stated objective is now to lift the sanitary restrictions currently prohibiting access by the Colombian avocado to the United States market. The approval procedure, the last stage of which started this summer, could in the best-case sce-nario end in mid-2014. Obtaining this precious key would finally demonstrate that Colombia is destined to be among the big players on the in-ternational avocado market


Hass avocado - Colombia - Exports

25 3256

123

26

500

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Source: DAN

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AVOCADO — Imports

Avocado — The 6 leading importing countries

tonnes 2012-13

United States 560 729

Netherlands 127 775

France 96 657

Japan 62 687

Canada 48 599

United Kingdom 38 740 Sources: national customs

Canada — Imports — Main supplier countries tonnes 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Total 23 039 23 665 32 196 33 467 37 974 48 599 Mexico* 18 143 20 474 25 435 22 687 27 431 36 299

USA* 3 385 2 053 3 814 7 728 6 497 8 786 Peru 753 450 1 342 1 266 2 483 2 282 Chile 696 492 1 196 1 340 1 055 659

Dom. Rep. 29 143 314 314 255 351 Brazil 24 43 75 109 166 131

Others 9 11 21 23 87 91 Sources: COMTRADE national customs*

USA — Imports — Main supplier countries tonnes 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Total 319 920 371 662 420 361 351 075 467 087 560 729 Mexico 217 000 301 695 270 200 281 672 360 924 515 143

Dom. Rep. 15 219 13 584 15 984 14 956 17 204 16 150 Chile 85 199 56 363 133 888 54 355 74 701 14 721 Peru 11 137 13 467 14 697

N. Zealand 2 500 269 791 Others 2 20 9 45 0 18

Source: USDA

AVOCADO — Production

Avocado — The 10 leading producer countries tonnes 2012-13 or FAO 2010 Mexico 1 430 000

Dominican Rep. 295 000 Indonesia 276 000

United States 258 000 Colombia 250 000

Peru 213 000 Kenya 201 000 Chile 165 000 Brazil 160 000 China 108 000

Sources: FAO, USDA, professionals

AVOCADO — Exports

Avocado — The 6 leading exporting countries

tonnes 2012-13

Mexico 657 000

Chile 68 000

Peru 83 350

Spain 49 800

South Africa 49 100

Israel 44 600 Professional sources and national customs

South America — Main markets tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total 20 084 14 887 11 047 19 714 18 881 17 943 Argentina 1 572 3 221 2 638 3 494 8 357 5 493

Ecuador 105 40 512 2 416 1 177 1 500 Source: COMTRADE

2012 15 901

9 179

Colombia 17 665 11 226 7 507 12 501 9 044 7 190 6 024 Chile 741 400 390 1 304 303 3 760 698

Central America and Mexico — Main markets tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total 24 411 27 426 26 365 28 683 35 956 27 709 El Salvador 11 593 10 079 9 747 11 163 9 308 9 262

Mexico 2 114 91 393 0 6 598 940 Source: COMTRADE

2012 38 989 13 754

923

Costa Rica 6 773 6 970 7 571 6 809 9 638 9 958 12 000

Guatemala 2 821 950 1 087 1 772 1 380 900 3 312 Honduras 1 110 9 335 7 566 8 939 9 032 6 649 9 000



CLOSE-UP EU-27 — Imports — Main supplier countries tonnes 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Total, incl. 194 194 210 487 239 449 239 726 225 522 264 898 Total N. hemis. 104 737 94 535 134 795 118 680 113 507 131 740

Spain 35 300 32 930 31 420 44 460 33 270 42 000 Chile 25 692 15 832 51 383 25 244 32 637 41 074 Israel 25 936 30 071 38 522 38 512 40 355 35 117

Mexico 12 695 11 647 9 326 3 371 2 909 9 085 Dom. Rep. 3 105 2 077 3 016 3 621 1 312 2 451

Morocco 1 698 1 908 977 3 346 2 803 840 Total S. hemis. 89 457 115 539 104 301 120 933 111 936 132 852

Peru 35 857 49 829 45 661 56 345 66 155 62 618 Southern Africa* 38 445 51 109 38 821 47 800 27 375 49 083

Kenya 11 999 11 841 15 038 14 123 15 028 17 078 Brazil 1 447 1 790 2 797 2 665 3 006 3 959

Argentina 1 709 970 1 984 0 372 114 Others 0 413 353 113 79 306

* South Africa + Zimbabwe + Zwaziland / Source: EUROSTAT

Other Western European countries — Main markets tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Total 6 988 8 320 9 018 9 568 11 538 13 644 Switzerland 4 102 4 936 4 995 5 340 6 152 6 789

Norway 2 749 3 219 3 841 4 046 5 154 6 555

Source: COMTRADE

2012 14 780

7 340 7 091

Iceland 137 165 183 183 232 300 349

Russia — Imports — Main supplier countries tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total, incl. 3 135 4 392 4 806 5 827 8 367 9 474 11 156 Total N. hemis. 1 931 2 928 2 180 3 479 5 318 6 199 6 925

Israel 1 805 2 769 2 016 3 316 5 135 5 794 6 674 Spain 126 159 164 163 183 405 251

Total S. hemis. 1 135 1 377 2 515 2 224 2 861 3 087 3 934 South Africa 1 062 1 225 1 923 1 445 1 984 1 321 2 345

Peru 34 42 442 438 597 1 475 1 259 Kenya 39 110 150 342 280 291 330

Source: COMTRADE

Other Eastern European countries — Main markets tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total 498 702 884 905 1 358 1 624 2 053 Ukraine 367 510 691 694 1 026 1 249 1 623 Belarus 52 91 97 113 173 229 250 Croatia 46 53 42 61 108 95 110 Serbia 34 48 54 37 51 51 70

Source: COMTRADE

Japan — Imports — Main supplier countries tonnes 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

Total 24 963 26 054 37 520 39 043 47 734 62 687 Mexico 23 569 25 220 33 603 35 733 40 722 56 373

Chile 100 77 1 023 2 430 3 966 5 140 N. Zealand 893 533 1 221 546 2 032 639

United States 398 224 1 673 334 1 014 535 Source: national customs

Other Asia countries — Main markets tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total 2 376 2 965 2 869 3 534 4 616 5 255 6 103 China 951 1 305 989 1 293 1 976 2 393 2 783

Singapore 545 659 747 978 1 285 1 497 1 691

South Korea 610 655 492 325 457 402 534 Thailand 129 188 413 664 540 440 530

Source: COMTRADE

Malaysia 142 158 228 274 359 523 565

Persian Gulf — Main markets tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total 1 529 3 118 3 759 4 066 5 097 6 504 7 887 United Arab Em. 0 1 735 2 528 2 500 2 500 2 500 2 500

Qatar 146 235 217 226 367 1 200 2 087 Kuwait 368 426 371 400 400 400 400 Yemen 486 180 268 258 220 348 400

Source: COMTRADE

Saudi Arabia 528 542 376 682 1 610 2 056 2 500

© Eric Imbert

Oceania — Main markets tonnes 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Total 9 382 7 764 9 737 9 551 9 415 16 266 10 823 Australia 9 359 7 675 9 729 9 509 9 287 16 166 10 723

N. Zealand 23 89 8 42 128 100 100 Source: COMTRADE



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60

Avocado

post-harvest

The special features of climacteric fruits Climacteric fruits have special physiological characteristics. They must be harvested after reaching a sufficiently advanced stage of devel-opment and hence of maturity. It is only then that they are capable of synthesising sufficient amounts of ethylene to be able to start ripening (a strong increase in respiration that physiolo-gists refer to as the 'climacteric' marks the start of deep-seated physiological changes). Only mature fruits will display satisfactory organolep-tic characteristics once they have ripened. Avo-cado is a singular climacteric fruit. It can only start the ripening process after it has been picked. One of the best ways of storing the fruit is therefore to leave it on the tree. Some varieties can remain on the branch for several months, depending on the season. Suitability for 'tree storage' is generally very small or non-existent for West Indian cultivars but marked for hybrids, especially for Guatemalan x Mexican crosses. Nevertheless, prolonged storage can have a negative effect on production in the following season. These physiological considerations high-light the importance of the harvest date. Several variables that depend on the variety and the producer country concerned are to be taken into consideration to judge the optimum stage of maturity. Visual appraisal, fruit weight and di-ameter and the number of days after flowering give useful information but this is not accurate enough. Determining the matter content—strongly correlated with the oil content—is the most commonly used method. Appraisal of the stage of maturity is completed by analysis of enzymatic activity, electrical conductivity, aro-matic compounds or precursors or by tasting tests when the fruits have ripened.

Post-harvest management of fruits is of prime impor-tance. It affects both qual-ity and yield as losses can range from 5 to 50%.

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Storage Cooling

The temperature is lowered to slow the metabolism of the fruit so that it can be stored. This slows ethylene synthesis and its effects. It is therefore sought to bring the fruits to the best temperature for storage as rapidly as possible after harvesting (ideally in less than 6 hours). The duration of cool-ing depends on the initial and final temperature of the fruit and on the ambient air conditions (temperature, wind velocity and relative humidity). The time necessary varies from 8 to 10 hours. It is important to halt the cooling phase 2°C before the final temperature desired to be sure not to reach temperatures that are too low and that might damage the produce.

Refrigeration

Optimum storage temperatures vary according to the variety, the period of the season (maturity) and the storage period desired. In general, the tem-perature for mature avocado ranges from 5 to 12°C with atmospheric rela-tive humidity of 85 to 95%. The more delicate end-of-season fruits are stored in the lower part of the temperature range. For 'Hass', physiologists advise maintaining fruits at 5 to 7°C at the beginning of the season and 4.5 to 5.5°C at the end. More than four weeks of storage at these temperatures is not recommended. The optimum temperature range for 'Fuerte' is 6 to 8°C but not for more than three weeks. In practice, professionals keep all the classic commercial varieties at between 5 and 6°C. Temperatures must be strictly controlled to prevent any fluctuation. Movement of air is also regu-lated. Heat is released during the beginning of the ripening process and this must be taken into account. Respect of the cold chain is of crucial importance.

Controlled atmosphere

Controlled atmospheres are widely used for long transport and can lengthen the duration of storage. Low O2 levels combined with high CO2 reduce respiration and ethylene production. An O2 content of 2 to 5% and CO2 of 3 to 10% are generally used. The main classic commercial varieties can thus be stored for 5 to 6 weeks and even longer for 'Hass'. The effects of unsuitable O2 and CO2 levels are described in the paragraph entitled 'Main types of post-harvest physiological deterioration' below.

Alternative technologies for long storage

Treatment with 1-MCP. Application of 1-MCP (1-methylcyclopropene) is reported to limit the internal symptoms of chilling injury (dulling of the pulp, vascular browning) in fruits stored for more than four weeks. The technique is said to give good results especially for the green varieties that are less suitable than 'Hass' for long storage (with regard to the standards in force). It has been used on a proportion of the South African harvest for three years.

Step-down temperature. This technique has been used in the South Afri-can avocado sector for several years to conserve fruit quality and reduce internal symptoms of chilling injury. The storage temperature is lowered in steps (1 to 2°C each week) during transport, with care taken not to descend lower than 3.5°C. There are procedures (temperature and duration) for the different cultivars and regions of South Africa.

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Packing Fruits with the desired maturity index are sorted, washed and graded before packing. Each market has its own packing requirements.

Avocado — Europe — 4-kg box 35 x 28.5 x 9 cm

Weight (g) Size 461-475 8 366-400 10 306-365 12 266-305 14 236-265 16 211-235 18 190-210 20 176-189 22 156-170 24 146-155 26 Avocado — USA

5.67-kg box Weight (g) Size

422 14 377 16 340 18 298 20 241 24 196 30 156 35

Avocado — Japan — 6-kg box 43.9 x 33.1 x 11 cm

Weight (g) Size 340 18 298 20 241 24 196 30 156 35

Avocado — USA — 11.34-kg box 43 x 32.6 x 17.5 cm

Weight (g) Size 422 28 377 32 340 36 298 40 241 48 196 60 156 70 122 84 102 96

The main precautions to be taken in shops Avocado fruits are very sensitive to impacts and to pressing by consumers. Ripe and nearly ripe fruits must be stored at lower temperatures (1 to 6°C). Misting is not recommended.

Ripening The ideal temperature for ripening is 15 to 20°C. Above 25°C, ripening is irregular, unpleasant flavours appear and the risk of rot increases. This natural process can also be controlled. Treatment with ethylene (100 ppm at 20°C for 12 to 72 hours depending on the maturity of the fruit) speeds up ripening by 3 to 6 days. It is possible to obtain fruits at an even stage of ripeness in chambers in which temperature, relative humidity and ethylene content are the main parameters controlled. Nevertheless, ripening still depends on the initial stage of maturity of the fruit.

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Main types of post-harvest physiological deterioration of avocado Storage-related damage

Chilling injury. This damage is caused by low temperatures—generally lower than 3°C—or by prolonged storage. The symptoms may appear three days after packing during storage and more often when the fruits are removed from the cold room. Two forms of chilling injury are observed. The symptom of internal chilling injury is a browning of the pulp starting at the base of the fruit and sometimes vascular browning in the same area. In 'Fuerte', this disorder takes the form of small dark spots in the pulp. The symptoms of external chilling injury are irregular black spots on the epidermis. They may appear during storage and most frequently when the fruits are removed from cold storage.

O2 deficit and excessive CO2. Too great a decrease in the O2 level (in particular to less than 1%) can cause irregular brown spotting of the epidermis that can spread to the pulp. Too high a CO2 level (over 10%) can cause discoloration of the epidermis and the development of unpleasant flavours, especially when the O2 level is low.

Fungal infection in the field revealed during or after storage

The control of fungal diseases requires effective orchard management and appropriate treatments before the harvest. All bruising of the fruits must be avoided at the post-harvest stage, they must be refrigerated rapidly and the cold chain maintained.

Anthracnose. This is the most frequent disease during storage and is caused by infection of the fruit by Colle-totrichum gloeosporioides in the orchard and appears only during ripening. It causes serious necrosis. Ordinary small, scattered injuries develop into large circular brown spots on the epidermis. The underlying pulp black-ens and the rot reaches the stone. The rate of development of this rot depends on the transport and storage temperature and above all the state of maturity of the fruits.

Stem-end rot. This disease is also caused by infection by a fungus, Botryodiplodia theobromae. Small pale brown spots appear initially in the stem zone. The rot spreads rapidly to the rest of the fruit. The pulp is then infected to the stone. Any injury in the epidermis favours infection by the pathogen.

Pathogen Diseases Alternaria spp Black rot

Botryodiplodia theobromae Stem-end rot

Botryosphaeria ribis (Dithiorella gregaria) Stem-end rot

Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Anthracnose: Black rot

Fusarium spp Stem-end rot

Penicillium expansum Blue mould

Pestalotiopsis perseae Brown spots

Phomopsis perseae Brown rot

Phytophthora citricola Small surface injuries

Pseudocercospora purpurea Soft rot

Rhizopus stolonifer Corky patches on epidermis

Trichothecium roseum Pink rot

Avocado — Post-harvest diseases caused by pathogenic fungi


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The harvest stage in the case of climacteric fruits This stage is particularly important since the state of maturity of the fruit is “set” upon harvesting (see FruiTrop no.198, page 29, maturation article). The impact of the harvest stage is split into two aspects (see diagram):

• in qualitative terms, the earlier a fruit is harvested, the less taste properties it will exhibit, with a fairly low sugar content (enrichment in sugars is linked to the length of time on the plant) and a poor ability to develop flavours;

• in commercial terms, a fruit harvested at a stage too close to the fruit’s true maturity will have a lower con-servability. But if the fruit is harvested too early, its ability to ripen may be insufficient, and it will not be able to go through the correct maturation development.

Importers are dependent on the compromise which may be found to reconcile taste quality and market distri-bution. Defining an optimum harvest stage is a real challenge, since there are not necessarily any clear visual descriptors indicating with acceptable precision the stage of maturity before maturation of climacteric fruits (known as the preclimacteric stage).

In parallel, with the markets constantly changing, the development of triggering (avocado, mango) becomes singularly complicated: how to be sure that the fruits have reached their ability to ripen? How to adapt the trig-gering process to the fruit stage of maturity, in the knowledge that the batches are heterogeneous?

There are possible alternatives for improving batch homogeneity, but this calls for a high degree of interaction between the production and distribution industries. Eventually, we will need to take into account the changes to cropping techniques on fruit physiology (conservation, metabolism of maturation). We will also need to as-sess the possibility of sorting fruits using non-destructive measures, to obtain homogeneous batches in order to adapt and ensure the performance of the triggering techniques.

Sensorial and nutritional quality

= Sugar:acid ratio

Biochemical composition Colour and texture

Flavours…

Tooearly

Toolate

= Development rate

Sensitivity to physiologicaldisorders

Pathogen resistance…

‘functional’ quality(market distribution)

THE HARVEST STAGE

Finding the right compromise

It sets thematurity stage

It defines the conservability

Green

Ripe



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66

Avocado quality flaws

Photos © Pierre Gerbaud and E. Laville

PARASITE DISORDERS

The

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Col

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ider

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Stem

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., La

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Mild internal anthracnose

Severe internal anthracnose Severe internal anthracnose

Mild to severe external anthracnose Final-stage external anthracnose

Stem-end necrosis due to Fusarium Stem-end necrosis Stem-end necrosis

Surface disorder due to Sphacelma persea - Scab

Surface disorder due to Sphacelma persea - Scab



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PHYSIOLOGICAL DISORDERS

Internal damage, early development

Internal damage, mid-stage development

Internal damage, late development

External damage Lack of O2 and excess CO2

Variation in coloration and maturity Mechanical bruising Cork-like patch

due to friction

Cork-like ridges due to friction

Burst nodules due to friction

Photos © Pierre Gerbaud and E. Laville

MECHANICAL AND OTHER PROBLEMS

Dam

age

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ed b

y th

e co

ld

Poor

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f con

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68

Avocado is a dicotyledon of the genus Persea of the Lauraceae family. More than 200 varieties are divided between three races. The Mexican race is of little commercial interest as most of the fruits are too small. However, its agronomic qualities mean that it is widely used as rootstock or as a parent. Practically all sales of fruits of the West In-dian race are on domestic markets. International trade handles mainly varieties belonging to the Guatemalan race or crosses between the Guate-malan and Mexican races.

The main avocado

varieties

The Guatemalan race Persea nubigena L. Wins var. guatemalensis

This race probably originated not only in the highlands of Guatemala but also in the Chiapas in Mexico. The leaves are large and uniformly dark green on both faces. Although it is not as tolerant to cold as the Mexican race, it is useful for marginal cultivation zones. The fruits are roundish and have thick, very hard warty skin. The size may vary considerably but they are generally larger than fruits of the Mexican race. The seed is fairly small and almost always clings. Pulp oil content is medium at 10 to 20%. Flowering to harvest time is 8 to 10 months. It can be longer in the cold parts of Cali-fornia (12 to 14 months). The race is a good parent for crosses (contributing genes for small seeds). Nearly 40% of avocados belong to this race, including 'Anaheim', 'Corona', 'Sharwil' and the major commercial varieties such as 'Edranol', 'Gwen', 'Hass', 'Nabal' and 'Reed'.

The West Indian race Persea americana Miller var. americana In spite of its name, this race probably originated in Colom-bia. It is well suited to humid tropical regions where it is used to supply local markets. The tree has large green leaves. The fruits are elongated, usually large and weigh 400 to 900 g. The epidermis is fairly thin (0.8 to 1.5 mm) and is smooth and shiny, soft green or greenish yellow or red-dish when mature. The pulp is watery with a low oil content (< 10%). The seed—often free—is large and has a more or less corrugated surface. All these characteristics make the fruits delicate. They often display pulp browning (caused by chilling injury) at the temperatures generally used for the storage and refrigerated transport of fruits of the other races (+ 6°C, + 8°C). The race is the most sensitive one to cold and aridity but the most tolerant to salinity. The flowering to harvest time is only 5 to 7 months. The West Indian race groups about 15% of avocado varieties and the best known among t h e m a r e ' P e t e r s o n ' , 'Pollock' and 'Waldin'.

The Mexican race Persea americana Miller var. drymifolia Schlecht

and Cham.

This fairly hardy race that is adapted to low temperatures originated in the Mexican highlands. It differs from the two other races in several botanical characters:

• the leaves are generally small and release a characteristic anise odour when crumpled;

• flowering is earlier than in the other races and the flow-ering to harvest time is 7 to 9 months;

• the fruits are small and elongated and rarely weigh more than 250 g. The skin is very thin and smooth.

The pulp is often fibrous and has a high oil content (> 15%). The seed is generally large and sometimes free. This race is very sensitive to salinity. In contrast, it tolerates high tem-peratures and comparatively low relative humidity. Further-more, it has greater tolerance to Phytophthora cinnamomi than the other races. It thus forms good rootstock and its genetic potential is well exploited in hybridisation breeding programmes. Finally, its high lipid content is an interesting feature when the fruits are used for oil production. About 20% of varieties belong to this race. The best known include 'Duke', 'Gottfried', 'Mexicolo', 'Topa Topa' and 'Zutano'.

Hybrids

A large proportion of the varieties of interest for interna-tional trade are hybrids. These are generally natural crosses and in rarer cases are the result of breeding exploiting the inter-fertility of the three races. The main selection criteria are agronomic (resistance to pests and diseases, especially Phytophthora, tolerance to salinity and cold, productivity, etc.) and those related to fruit quality (size, high pulp per-

centage, flavour, absence of fibres, oil content, etc.). 'Bacon', 'Ettinger', 'Fuerte' and 'Lula' in particular are

natural Mexican x Guatemalan hybrids. Guatemalan x West Indian hybrids, mainly from Florida, include

the varieties 'Ajax', 'Booth', 'Choquette', 'Collinson' and 'Simpson'. Mexican x West In-dian hybrids such as 'Indian River' are very rare. Other varieties resulting from inter-race crosses are possible.



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Fuerte Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid

Flowering type: B Fruit shape: obovate Skin: green, matt, smooth, me-dium thickness. Pliable and tough, it is easy to remove Oil content: 16 to 18% Average weight: 250 to 400 g Seed:skin:pulp ratio: 15:10:75 (large seed)

This variety was long the most commonly planted in the world and originated in Mexico (Atlixco). The tree is vigorous with fairly good resistance to frost (to 4°C), but is particularly temperature-sensitive during the flowering period. Produc-tivity is generally good in temperate zones but it displays strong alternate bearing. The fruits are easy to peel and have excellent organoleptic qualities (buttery pulp).

Pinkerton Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid

Flowering type: A Fruit shape: pyriform S k i n : d a r k g r e e n, r o u g h , t ou g h and pliable, medium thick, easy to peel Oil content: 18 to 25% Average weight: 270 to 400 g Seed:skin:pulp ratio: 10:13:77 (small seed)

A recent variety bred in California by John Pinkerton and regis-tered in 1975. It is probably the result of a Hass x Rincon cross. The tree is very vigorous and tolerates temperatures of -1/-2°C to 30°C. Production is good and alternate bearing is little marked. The fruits may suffer from ring-neck if the tree is un-der conditions of stress. The organoleptic qualities of this vari-ety are excellent (nutty taste). The pulp is smooth, buttery and fibre-less.

Hass Guatemalan race

Flowering type: A Fruit shape: pyriform Skin: dark green and brown at maturity, not very thick, warty Oil content: 18 to 20% Average weight: 250 to 350 g Seed:skin:pulp ratio: 16:12:72 (small seed)

'Hass' has replaced 'Fuerte' as the sector standard. It is currently the most commonly planted avocado in the world. It was se-lected by Rudolph Hass in California in the early 1920s and registered in 1935. The tree is vigorous and highly productive. The fruits vary in shape in some production regions, ranging from pyriform to ovoid. Average fruits size is fairly small in hot regions. Good capability for conservation on the tree. The skin turns from dark green to purplish brown at maturity. It is easy to remove from the pulp. The organoleptic qualities are excel-lent. Rich flavour (nutty taste) and buttery nonfibrous pulp.

Reed Guatemalan race

Flowering type: A Fruit shape: spheroid Skin: medium thickness, slightly rough, pliable Oil content: 19 to 20% Average weight: 400 to 500 g Seed:skin:pulp ratio: 17:11:72

This variety of Californian origin was selected by James Reed. Regis-tered in 1960, the patent expired in 1977. It has succeeded in conserving the qualities of its parents 'Nabal' and 'Anaheim' without their negative features. It is fairly produc-tive and alternate bearing is not marked. Its resistance to cold is comparable to that of 'Hass'. The fruits are large and a singular round shape. They keep well on the tree. The or-ganoleptic qualities are excellent and the buttery pulp has a slight nutty taste and does not blacken after slicing. Peeling is also easy.

Photos© Guy Bréhinier

Ettinger Mexican x Guatemalan hybrid

Flowering type: B Fruit shape: narrowly obovate Skin: bright green, fine, fairly smooth Oil content: 18 to 22% Average weight: 250 to 350 g Seed:skin:pulp ratio: fairly large seed This variety was bred from 'Fuerte' in Kefar Malal in Israel, where it is mainly grown. The tree is very fertile and vigorous with an erect habit. The fruits are similar to those of 'Fuerte'. The skin is susceptible to problems of corky areas and tends to adhere to the pulp. The pulp is buttery and fibreless and has good organoleptic qualities.

© University of California

© U

nive

rsity

of C

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rnia



Wholesale market prices in Europe July/August 2013

WHOLESALE MARKET PRICES IN EUROPE — JULY/AUGUST 2013

EUROPEAN UNION — EURO Germany Belgium France Holland UK AVOCADO Air HASS PERU Box 12.25 SOUTH AFRICA Box 12.25 TROPICAL BRAZIL Box 13.70 15.46 DOMINICAN REP. Box 12.50 Sea FUERTE SOUTH AFRICA Box 6.31 13.00 HASS BRAZIL Box 9.00 KENYA Box 6.94 12.23 PERU Box 8.00 9.25 7.94 9.63 SOUTH AFRICA Box 9.00 9.50 7.21 9.88 NOT DETERMINED BRAZIL Box 9.59 KENYA Box 6.99 PERU Box 13.00 SOUTH AFRICA Box 10.42 PINKERTON PERU Box 12.23 SOUTH AFRICA Box 10.00 6.31 10.13 RYAN SOUTH AFRICA Box 10.00 8.63 10.00 11.64 BANANA Air RED ECUADOR kg 4.88 SMALL COLOMBIA kg 6.58 5.17 ECUADOR kg 5.67 Sea RED ECUADOR kg 2.29 SMALL ECUADOR kg 1.68 2.65 CARAMBOLA Air MALAYSIA kg 5.33 4.92 4.98 Sea MALAYSIA kg 3.32 COCONUT Sea COSTA RICA Bag 15.00 COTE D'IVOIRE Bag 13.70 11.48 12.19 DOMINICAN REP. Bag 19.00 SRI LANKA Bag 13.50 20.00 9.67 DATE Sea BAHRI ISRAEL kg 4.65 MEDJOOL ISRAEL kg 7.67 6.80 MEXICO kg 11.00 SOUTH AFRICA kg 7.00 NOT DETERMINED ISRAEL kg 2.80 JORDAN kg 5.82 TUNISIA kg 1.88 1.62 DURIAN Air THAILAND kg 7.90 EDDOE Sea CHINA kg 1.75 COSTA RICA kg 1.81 GINGER Sea BRAZIL kg 1.77 2.25 1.95 2.06 CHINA kg 1.52 1.00 1.82 1.73 2.00 THAILAND kg 1.90 1.78 GUAVA Air BRAZIL kg 6.90 7.08 KUMQUAT Air BRAZIL kg 4.27 SOUTH AFRICA kg 5.35 4.69 LIME Air MEXICO kg 4.23 Sea BRAZIL kg 1.97 1.89 2.21 2.25 2.05 MEXICO kg 1.89 2.00 2.49 2.35 2.68 LITCHI Air ISRAEL kg 5.85 THAILAND kg 6.50 Sea ISRAEL kg 3.72 4.50 MANGO Air HADEN ISRAEL kg 3.61 KASTURI ISRAEL kg 3.33



WHOLESALE MARKET PRICES IN EUROPE — JULY/AUGUST 2013

Note: according to grade

These prices are based on monthly information from the Market News Service, International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), Geneva. MNS - International Trade Centre, UNCTAD/WTO (ITC), Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland — T. 41 (22) 730 01 11 / F. 41 (22) 730 09 06

EUROPEAN UNION — EURO Germany Belgium France Holland UK MANGO KEITT PUERTO RICO kg 1.38 KENT ISRAEL kg 3.00 3.90 MEXICO kg 3.00 3.58 PUERTO RICO kg 1.38 SENEGAL kg 3.50 MAYA ISRAEL kg 4.25 3.56 NOT DETERMINED ISRAEL kg 3.84 NAM DOK MAI THAILAND kg 8.50 OMER ISRAEL kg 3.61 SHELLY ISRAEL kg 3.40 Sea ATKINS BRAZIL kg 1.50 1.63 1.61 ISRAEL kg 1.06 KEITT MEXICO kg 1.13 1.42 PUERTO RICO kg 1.38 1.50 SENEGAL kg 1.38 KENT ISRAEL kg 2.00 2.63 MALI kg 1.03 MEXICO kg 1.75 1.13 SENEGAL kg 1.48 NOT DETERMINED BRAZIL kg 1.24 COSTA RICA kg 1.52 COTE D'IVOIRE kg 2.69 DOMINICAN REP. kg 2.25 MEXICO kg 1.16 PAKISTAN kg 1.11 PUERTO RICO kg 1.61 PALMER BRAZIL kg 2.83 PAPAYA Air FORMOSA BRAZIL kg 3.35 3.09 3.56 NOT DETERMINED BRAZIL kg 3.57 3.30 3.53 3.47 ECUADOR kg 3.30 3.66 THAILAND kg 4.81 Sea ECUADOR kg 2.26 PASSION FRUIT Air NOT DETERMINED COLOMBIA kg 5.50 5.00 5.33 5.60 4.64 PURPLE ISRAEL kg 6.08 KENYA kg 4.00 4.37 SOUTH AFRICA kg 6.65 5.25 ZIMBABWE kg 5.13 YELLOW COLOMBIA kg 9.73 9.25 ECUADOR kg 9.25 PHYSALIS Air PREPACKED COLOMBIA kg 6.67 8.63 9.82 9.19 Sea COLOMBIA kg 5.00 5.83 5.90 PINEAPPLE Air SMOOTH CAYENNE BENIN kg 2.13 VICTORIA MAURITIUS Box 13.00 13.35 MAURITIUS kg 3.72 REUNION kg 4.20 SOUTH AFRICA Box 10.00 11.57 Sea MD-2 COSTA RICA Box 7.67 8.50 8.00 9.40 6.09 COSTA RICA kg 1.05 COTE D'IVOIRE kg 1.00 PANAMA Box 8.00 SOUTH AFRICA Box 9.27 PITAHAYA Air RED THAILAND kg 7.67 6.62 VIET NAM kg 6.00 6.68 YELLOW COLOMBIA kg 10.00 10.03 ECUADOR kg 9.00 PLANTAIN Sea COLOMBIA kg 1.03 0.91 ECUADOR kg 0.90 0.84 JAMAICA kg 1.29 RAMBUTAN Air THAILAND kg 7.53 VIET NAM kg 9.20


Social LCAs Socio-economic

effects in value chains

What are the social consequences of changes enacted in the value chains, especially when they involve large international agricultural product industries? How can we anticipate the results of changes in technical procedures, supplier, work organisation, distribution of revenue generated, etc.?

Take advantage of the pre-order period by reserving

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Researchers from French research centres (Cirad, Inra, Irstea, SupAgro, and University of Montpellier I) and consultants (Epsil’Hôm, CEP) set out

over 100 pages their methodology and practices for assessing socio-

economic effects.

You are making decisions about the future of industrial sectors.

You would like to understand the social consequences of these decisions.

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