Mexico is becoming bigger part of avocado trade for Eco Farms
Mexico is becoming bigger part of avocado trade for Eco Farms
As the total consumption of avocados in the U.S. market continues to grow, “the Mexican deal is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the puzzle,” said Steve Taft, president of Eco Farms Avocados Inc. in Temecula, CA.
One reason for that is Chile, which harvests its avocados largely during Mexico’s peak season, does not come to the United States “with as much fruit as they used to,” he said. Chile has had “a series of short crops,” and in addition Chileans “have developed other markets.”
On the other hand, 
Steve Taft“Mexico’s volume is just growing like crazy” and a big 2012-13 crop with record volumes coming to the United States is projected, he said.
The fruit Mexico exports to the United States all comes from the state of Michoacán, but Nayarit and Jalisco also grow a lot of avocados. “They’re not allowed in yet,” Mr. Taft said. “They can ship to Japan” and other countries, “but they can’t come in here yet. But boy, when those are allowed in here, it is going to be something else!”
Meanwhile, just the fruit coming in from Michoacán dominates the U.S. market for much of the year.
Eco Farms was still shipping California fruit, along with the early-season Mexican fruit when The Produce News talked to Mr. Taft Sept. 28. For Eco Farms, the California avocados were just about finished, “but the industry will go, I think, all of October.” Eco was also handling Chilean fruit.
Quality on the early fruit from Mexico “has been very good,” Mr. Taft said. Pricing has been lower than the growers would like to see it so far, “but there is just so much fruit from all areas” in the market.
Mexico’s early fruit is “bigger than we have seen it in past years,” he said. “They have a lot of 48s and larger and a fair amount of 40s and larger. That is true both for the early off-bloom crop and for the start of the regular crop. Even though the crop is big, the sizes are better as well, which is kind of unusual.” Normally, when there is a really big crop, sizes tend to be smaller.
Eco Farms handles organic as well as conventional avocados. “We are still doing the California organic,” Mr. Taft said. The company will also be offering organic avocados from Mexico, but those had not yet started. “That will start here in the next couple of weeks.” The organic program out of Mexico seems to be increasing, he said.
Although Mexican avocado volume is heavier at some times of year than others, it is a year-round program, Mr. Taft noted. “There will be good year-round supplies of Mexican fruit available through Eco Farms” as well as from other shippers. “Not just us,” he said. “Everybody is going to have good availability all year round.”
