Chile’s avocado exports plummet 58.3% in 2018/19

Latest data suggest that Chilean avocado exports up to September are down 58.3% for the 2018/19 campaign as a result of the delayed harvest, which led to exports overlapping with Peruvian exports. Moreover, there has been a 62% drop in value terms.

Chile’s avocado exports increased by 3.5% in volume in 2017/18, to 157,700 tons. In value terms they were up 16% to US$364 million. The main destination for Chilean avocado is the Netherlands, (40%), followed by the US (19%), and the UK (11%). Exports to the Netherlands and the US were up 15.4% and 0.6% respectively in the 2017/18 campaign, while shipments to the UK fell by 1.9%. Having gained access to the Chinese market in 2014, avocado exports to the Asian giant have risen steadily in the past three years. In 2017/18 they totalled 14, 600 tons, an increase of 11.6% from the previous year.

Chile’s avocado planted area has decreased in the past five years. Having reached 36,355 ha in 2013/14, it has since shrunk to 29,166 ha as producers now prefer only areas with high temperatures with sufficient water resources. The Valparaiso region accounts for 66% of the total planted area. Around 30% of Chile’s avocado production is sold on the domestic market. Most imports come from Peru and Mexico.