LIMA, Peru — Since gaining access to the U.S. market four years ago, Peruvian avocados have made great strides in becoming an important source of the popular fruit.

“That first year it was a very humble beginning, with 32 million pounds,” said Xavier Equihua, president and chief executive officer of the Peruvian Avocado Commission, which is part of the federal promotion program. “This year, the latest projection we have is 150 million to 170 million pounds to the U.S. market.”

“In the past three years, Avocados from Peru exports to the United Stated have tripled from 50 million to 150 million pounds, making Peru one of the largest suppliers of avocados during the summer months,” said Enrique Camet, chairman of the Peruvian Avocado Commission. “This growth is especially significant because the Avocados from Peru season is much shorter than any other major avocado-growing region in the world. Additionally, Peru is also a consistent supplier of large size fruit because of its climate conditions.”

Last year presented some challenges to Peruvian avocados. California had a bumper crop, Mexico had its typical high volume and shipments from Peru were not well spaced, so there was a glut of fruit on the market that created some downward pressure on prices.

This year it is a different story. California’s crop is lighter and expected to end earlier, creating a window for Peruvian fruit. Additionally, fruit from Peru this year will be heavy toward larger sizes, such as 36, 40 and 48, which are popular with U.S. retailers.

Quality this season is also very high, according to U.S. importers.

“It’s cutting and eating very well,” Bob Lucy, a partner at Del Rey Avocados in Fallbrook, CA, told The Produce News June 1. “We’ve seen the fruit from five containers at this point and it is excellent.”

“Peruvian fruit quality is good and it is gaining market acceptance with larger retailers and foodservice, which will help keep the market velocity,” added Kellen Newhouse, vice president of sourcing for West Pak Avocados in Murrieta, CA.

ProHass, a non-profit organization founded by Peruvian avocado producers, is made up of 75 member companies representing 80 percent of Peru’s exporters who pay $2.25 per kilo in assessments to help promote the avocado crop.

“Our members range in size from the small growers on five hectares to very large growers on 2,000 hectares,” said Jimmy Bosworth, president of ProHass. “In addition to funding promotions, we also lend technical expertise to maintain high standards via GAPs, which enables exports to the U.S. and other foreign markets.”

“The Peruvian avocado industry is young and dynamic, so it is still up-and-coming,” said Daniel Bustamante, general manager of ProHass member company Agricola Cerro Prieto. “We have learned lessons from various other origins.”

Bustamante said two reasons Peru has been able to get up to speed quickly are the relative youth of the trees and the lack of a winter season.

“Younger trees tend to producer larger fruit, and since we don’t really have a winter season, the trees are constantly working and they bear fruit much more quickly than other areas.”

Bosworth said government irrigation projects have helped develop a variety of products in Peru, including avocados.

“The first plantations were in the central coast of Peru, within a two-hour drive north or south of Lima,” he said. “The north has earlier production while the south has later production. We could extend our season, and possibly have year-round production if Hass orchards are established at higher elevations.”

The fact that Peru is a major player in avocados and other agricultural commodities is impressive, given that agriculture essentially had to start from scratch in 1980.

“Most operations are family-owned and we had agrarian reform via a military coup in 1968,” said Bosworth. “All farms were overtaken and everything was stripped away. The coup ended in 1980, but it was still not safe to own large pieces of land until the mid-1990s, when new laws spurred new investments.”

Today, Peru is making further inroads in becoming a major source for summertime avocados for U.S. consumers.