ProHass launches a seal of guarantee for Peruvian Hass avocados

Following the World Avocado Congress in Lima, Peru, successfully organised by ProHass, the Peruvian Hass avocado industry is facing new challenges in 2016.

General director Arturo Medina explained that

“we don’t know how the El Niño phenomenon is going to affect the fruit. Even so, this year we are hoping for growth of 15%, reaching about 185,000 tons.”

This would establish it as the second Hass avocado exporter country in the world, behind only Mexico.

Europe will be the destination for 75%, while 20% goes to the US, and this year they will be present for the first time in Asia as of the beginning of the campaign. In this regard, Medina explained that

“we are faced with a challenge as we know there is a demand for smaller sizes, but in Peru we produce bigger ones.”

Emphasising their insistence on complying with the very highest quality requirements, this year they will have a seal of guarantee for importers, ensuring that the fruit they buy from Peru has at least 22.5-23% of dry matter. Although the requirements to be met by the companies are established by the association, a private company has been hired to take charge of analysis, thus guaranteeing impartiality.

The ProHass members are the first to have taken up the initiative because they wish to set themselves apart from the rest, with the result that nearly 65% of the fruit exported will be under this quality seal.

This article appeared on page 68 of issue 142 (March/April 2016) of Eurofresh Distribution magazine. Read that edition online here.