Avocados in Charts: Mexico could see high fall prices despite U.S. supply forecast

Mexico’s impact on the avocado industry cannot be understated. From the advertisements that Avocados from Mexico puts out during the Super Bowl, to promoting foodie trends taking over the country that are getting avocados put on everything, its presence is keenly felt.

There are many that argue that avocados really took off once Mexico was given access to the market. What we can see is that they are the market. While in 2010 Mexico had a 48% of the U.S. market, by 2017 it had tripled its volumes and accounted for four out of every five avocados consumed.

At the height of Mexico’s season is the Super Bowl, where guacamole has become a staple to fans who instinctively load up their chips without taking their eyes off the screen – either for the game or for the high-budget ads.

The huge volumes that Mexico sends at the peak of its season, December and January, have brought with it a sense of stability, offering the consumers the most steady pricing of the year.

Where Mexico is at its lowest point, however, the prices fluctuate much more. The last two years have seen massive price spikes from August through October. Both years added up to similar volumes, which were already 15% lower than 2015 – the last year with stable pricing over the fall period.

I estimate that to maintain pricing, avocado volumes should be growing by about 15% every year. If we take 2015 and its pricing as a base, that means that over the next three months the industry somehow needs to come up with a 50% more volume than it shipped in 2017, which would give us an estimated average shipping point price of around US$32.80 per flat.

As Mexico’s volumes begin to increase, again all eyes will be on how – along with California and Peru – it will be able to supply a nation hungry for avocados. The Hass Avocado Board is forecasting all origins to offer 25% more volume over the next three months than was shipped in 2017, but looking back on the data, I believe there is a good chance that might not be enough.

Written by: Colin Fain
Original published in FreshFruitPortal.com on August 07, 2018 (Link)

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