The avocado is an exotic fruit, known in some parts as “Palta.” It has a creamy pulp, green in color and oval in shape. Its flavor is soft, and it is ideal to accompany multiple dishes or to include it in various recipes and combinations, making it a fairly popular fruit, not only for its delicious flavor and versatility but also for its nutritional properties.
In the last five years, Americans have gone from consuming half a kilo of Mexican avocado to 3.5 kilos per capita, according to data from APEAM (Association of Producers and Exporter Packers of Avocado of Mexico).
Avocado offers a feeling of satiety and among its main benefits is reducing the risk of cardiovascular system diseases, helping to maintain blood pressure at normal levels, it is a natural antibiotic, improves blood circulation, among others. In addition, due to its high amount of folic acid, its consumption is widely recommended during pregnancy and also to alleviate health problems that are attributed to its deficiency, which makes it a fabulous food to introduce into the daily diet.
Avocado Volume (LBS) Sold in tHE u.s. 2019 vs 2013
In 2013, 1.7 billion pounds of avocado were marketed within the United States, while in 2019 there was a sale of 2.3 billion pounds, which represents an increase of 35%, especially in the months of September to February, which we can see in the following graph:
Avocado Volume (Lbs) Sold In the U.s. 2020 vs 2019
This year, the volume of many of the main products marketed in the United States has been reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic and its global impact, but in the case of avocado, we can see that this was not the case, since in the first 5 months of the year (January to May) 1.08 trillion pounds have been commercialized, while in 2019 in the same period of time 873 million pounds were commercialized, which translates into an increase of 23%.
The avocado is a product ingrained in the kitchen of consumers that’s why the demand is constantly growing.
Price Curve: 2018 vs 2019 vs 2020
On the contrary, the price of avocado has been affected by the pandemic. Since the first months of 2020, the avocado size 48s (one of the most popular types of avocados), kept higher prices than in the last two years. However, since April, its prices suffered a decline.
The graphic below shows the behavior of avocado prices at the McAllen border comparing 2020 to the prices of the last two previous years.
Related Article: Álvaro Luque, CEO of Avocados From Mexico, Hispanic Pride in the Food Industry
Avocado Volume Sold In Peru
Not only Mexico produces avocado!
While in 2019, 78% of the avocado consumed in the United States came from this country, the remaining 22% came from California, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Florida, Chile, Colombia, and other countries such as New Zealand and Jamaica.
These regions have also seen a growth in the production of this fruit, such as the case of Peru that in 2014 exported 53 million pounds to the United States and in 2019 reached a record export of 175 million pounds to this country, which meant an increase of 203% as we can see in the following graph.
The Green Gold
Can you imagine the 4th of July or the Super Bowl without avocado? Virtually no American home goes by not easting this tasty fruit.
We will continue to see growth in the consumption of avocado as it continues to become a staple in the kitchen of new consumers.
Courtesy of AG Tools