by Heather Goulooze, Fresh Plaza
The avocado market in Denmark picked up in the beginning of July after experiencing a significant decrease in June. Peru is the main supplier this time of year and the decrease was a result of decreased supply.
Prices are slightly higher this year, around 2 Euros (USD 2.23) a box more compared to this time last year.
There is not much demand in Denmark for Kenyan avocados, so they have started importing some quantities from South Africa to fill the gaps for the decreased Peruvian supply. The Haas variety dominates the market, with very small supplies of green avocados. The market also prefers smaller sizes of 20-24 per box.
Retailers, wholesalers and food service have all switched to ready to eat, and hardly any avocados are being sold unripe any more. The avocados are ripened in The Netherlands once they arrive from Peru because the avocados need to be ripened in large quantities to make it more profitable.
According to a major Danish importer, “The quality is regular and we haven’t seen any big issues. It does seem like there might be a little less fat than usual in the avocados available at the moment. It has also been taking a day or two more to ripen, but once they are ready they have been fine and we can’t complain. The lessened fat content could be a result of the weather, but I think that the lack of supply has meant that producers are sending some avocados that they would usually save for the domestic market.”
Source: Fresh Plaza