Organic avocado: a fine dynamic in the USA… but some perspective required
- Published on 27/06/2022 - Published by FRUITROP
- Free
Informations
- Product(s) : Avocado
- Rubrique / Thématique : Direct from the markets
- Country : United States
- Keywords : Consumption , Import , Price
The size of the US organic avocado market for the year 2021 can be estimated at approximately 75 000 t. It supply is based largely on imports (just over 63 000 t this year, with more than 90 % from Mexico), and on local Californian production (approximately 8 % of the State’s total harvest). The segment has registered distinct progress, going by growth in imports alone, which have more than doubled in the space of five years. Nonetheless, organic remains a niche market for the avocado, since despite a level of 75 000 t, it only represents barely more than 5 % of overall consumption, which was in excess of 1.3 million tonnes in 2021. It is true that the product remains 30% to 40% more expensive in the retail sector than the conventional avocado, going by the USDA’s statistics (two-year average of 85-86 cents on the Los Angeles market for size 48, as opposed to 61-64 cents for conventional). Yet the gap is tending to narrow: it was between 45 % and 50 % between 2016 and 2019.
Source: US Customs, USDA, FRUITROP
