Mexico and Peru are sharing the American love for fresh tropical avocados via back-to-back seasons.
While Mexico is the de facto supplier of over 80% of all avocado imports into the U.S., Peru is the benefiting cheerleader. Since 2009, the country has been supplying the U.S. out of season.
For an avocado season that peaks in May through August, the Peruvian avocado season has had a lengthy run this year. It will end officially in August but will likely linger to culminate proper in October, 2023.
As the Peruvian main season ends this August, that of Mexico has just begun. Mexico also has had a lengthy lucrative avocado season, running from August 2022 to May 2023. With the growing demand in the key export market, a repeat of the success story is on the cards this fall.
In 2018, ITC recorded that 83% of all avocados that Americans consume come from Mexico. In five years, the figure had risen to 86%, by 2023. In other words, almost all avocados eaten in the United States eat come from across the southern border.
Following detrimental weather events, including a drought and a tropical storm, local avocados in California are in short supply. Thus, reliance on Mexican respite will continue.
In 2022, Mexico exported $3.01 billion worth of avocados into the United States. The figure represented 88% of the total global avocado export value by Mexico of $3.495 billion.
This was 26% higher than the $2.38 billion worth that Mexico exported to the U.S. in 2021.
Peru’s avocado exports to the U.S., on the other hand, saw a growth of 25% between 2021 and 2022. The 2021 export value to the United States was $184.6 million out of a total global export value of $1.05 billion. This U.S.-bound fraction rose to $231.3 million in 2022.
Mexico’s Hass Variety’s Popularity
The Hass avocado variety represents 95% of all imports by the U.S. from Mexico. The cultivar’s low fat content and ease to mix into low-cholesterol guacamole dishes accounts for their popularity in the United States.
More than 92% of avocados from Mexico come from the state of Michoacán. The Pacific-bordering state of Jalisco is also an emerging major source.
Mexico exported avocados to the U.S. at $3.38 in 2022 while the country’s global export price was $3.35. Peru sold avocados to the U.S. at $1.87 per kg in 2022 and shipped them globally at an average $1.94 per kilo.