Javier Medina, President of the Association of Exporting Producers of Avocado of Jalisco (APEAJAL) held a virtual seminar in conjunction with the agricultural startup ProducePay.
In this online presentation, the president of the association mentioned that this state is expected to export between 80 and 100 thousand tons of avocado this year, between 10 and 15% of national exports of said product to the United States.
On December 7 of last year, the Mexican government announced that the Hass avocado from Jalisco could be exported to the United States. Since then, associations such as APEAJAL and APEAM (Association of Producers and Packers Exporters of Avocado from Mexico) have been working together to accomplish this task.
Some of the main points that were discussed in the presentation, with avocado producers and distributors in Mexico and the United States, were:
The estimated volume of avocado exports from Jalisco (80 to 100 thousand tons) would represent about a third of the state’s total production. However, they expect a gradual year-on-year increase in this figure.
The remaining two thirds of the production will be distributed as follows: 33% for the national market and the rest for export to another 29 countries; among which are Canada, Europe, Japan, Central, and South America, Asia, and the Middle East.
Medina Villanueva affirmed that the current export markets will be taken care of, at the same time that the US market will be opened.
The president highlighted the impact that the opening of this market will have not only on the national GDP but also on the state; being a development engine for the state, with a great impact on the avocado-producing communities in terms of job creation and economic benefits.
Likewise, he highlighted the impact on women involved in the production chain, since almost 80% of the workforce in the packaging processes of the product are women.
It was mentioned that the integration of Jalisco exports can help Michoacán to meet the demand for avocado by the United States and therefore maintain greater stability in export prices. However, he assured that this will not mean a decrease in prices that is detrimental to producers.
For its part, ProducePay, an agricultural startup in the Fintech sector, assured that there is a growing demand for avocado consumption in the United States. Olmo Bastida, a specialist in Agro-exports, concluded that considering the annual per capita Mexican consumption (8 kg) against that of the United States (4 kg), there is still a lot of room for growth in the market.
Similarly, the startup promised to open its Marketplace, a technological platform that connects buyers in the U.S. with producers in Latin America, to boost exports of avocado from Jalisco; allowing producers to have transparent and quality transactions, as well as financing options.
Through these actions, APEAJAL and ProducePay seek to promote the avocado supply chain to a sustainable, digital and efficient future; for the benefit of Mexico’s agricultural export market.
Source: NotiespacioPV
