Winter, the great challenge for our Hass

Winter wave

The winter wave that we have been experiencing for a couple of years and that worsened in 2022, has greatly affected the Hass avocado sector.

The rains have caused a drop in the production of the fruit that we send to more than 30 destinations around the world. They damage fruits and leaves, and even cause the death of roots due to rotting.

In addition, water flowing down the slopes erodes the soil by washing away its nutrients. These conditions also make pest control and disease management difficult.

According to the Rural Agricultural Planning Unit (Unidad de Planificación Rural Agropecuaria -Upra-), last year floods affected at least two million hectares of crops.

This challenge, together with economic factors such as the increase in interest rates by Banco de la República, the increase in the price of agricultural inputs, the devaluation of the Colombian peso and the increase in the dollar, present great difficulties for the sector.

Exports reduced in 2022

In 2021, Hass avocado surpassed the US$200 million barrier in exports, with 97,000 tons shipped abroad. However, in 2022, it decreased 7.6%.

In addition to this, there was a large drop in the price of our Hass. Prices for Europe, which represents 76% of total exports, were below the values for the United States (22% of shipments) for more than half of the year.

Colombia has the lowest import prices compared to other exporting countries.

Expectations 2023

In 2023, we expect to address this problem by increasing the number of early-stage crops that will enter into production. Likewise, from the guild, we will manage everything necessary to enable the development of more farms for new markets.

And as domestic consumption of fruit in the country represents a great potential, it is a priority that we join efforts to strengthen the sector and promote strategies to motivate awareness and preference.

In a transversal way to these actions, we assume the quality of our fruit, the good practices and the commitment with phytosanity, as axes of our daily work.

As a guild we must also develop a synchronized and cohesive work with the Government, to seek the formalization of rural employment and the improvement of the tertiary road network.