by Hillary Ojeda, Peru This Week
Heavy rainfall in the Peruvian southern region of Ayacucho causes higher prices and a delayed harvest for avocado farmers.
Peru was recently declared the second highest exporter of avocados this year, therefore it is a high-performing fruit for the country. Therefore, the avocado earns a high market price.
With these conditions the price paid to producers increased to S/. 4.20 per kilo (or US$ 1.35).
“Ayacucho and other southern regions are very important at the beginning of the campaign; production starts a month earlier than at the big plantations of other regions, and with good percentages of dry matter,” Diana Sajami, of FCE EXPORT.
Countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States are some of the highest demanding markets and will see slightly raised prices after these heavy rains.
“There are many exporters demanding fruit who pay high prices for the product. The little fruit harvested with good percentages of dry matter has to be auctioned because everyone wants it,” explains Diana.
Despite this delay in production (20% less than average), Diana confirmed that this won’t affect the overall results for 2015. At the most, it will cause harvests to start in April.
The major avocado producing regions in Peru include La Libertad, Lima, Ica, Junin, and the Ancash region.
Source: Peru This Week