While frosts last year significantly reduced Argentina's avocado production, growers expect to recover for next season and do not want to compromise on imports Peruvian fruit to supply consumers in the meantime. At www.freshfruitportal.com, we spoke with Argentine Avocado Growers' Association (AAPROPAL) president Julio Figueroa, who discussed the current problems faced by the sector.

"It is a year in which we faced not just frosts, but when the fruit was alredy set, we had very small fruit," Figueroa explained.

"Then we had very strong heat and well, all the fruit was lost...we would have losses of 90-95% in all our sector. So now we are entertained with recovering plants, nothing more," he said in an optimistic tone.

The frosts occurred from July 21-23 last year, but growers still haven't been able to convince provincial authorities to declare the event as an agricultural disaster.

Figueroa described this fact as an unfortunate oversight from authorities to protect economic activity.

"But we are bringing together the efforts of all the small growers and businesspeople, recovering the plots and giving them better nutrition and improved possibilities so they are going well vegetatively for next year."

When asked about the entry of Peruvian avocados into Argentina, Figueroa said the fruit had been blocked to date and Chile was the only outside region sending the fruit to market.

"We proposed this to the president of the National Agricutlural Health and Quality Service [Senasa], Diana Guillén, and there is a commission from Senasa that is working on the issue," he said.

"We haven't had a result yet from the commission, but any type of Peruvian avocado entry is blocked."

He added the situation was so complex that supply was based only on a small percentage of normal production, added to Chilean origin imports.

"In a few days a company will enter the market with 60,000kg (132,277lbs), which is all there is."

Despite this challenge, Figueroa was optimistic about the market opportunities.

"Demand is relatively constant, it has improved a lot. Six or seven years ago we had a consumption of 150g (5.3oz) per capita, but the entry of Chilean avocados - which was a very good job undertaken by the Chilean Avocado Committee, where the Argentine market was developed in a way - gave the possibility that they [Argentine consumers] could eat Hass avocados practically all year with a strong promotion campaign.

"The Committee invested a good amount of money to develop products with tastings, selection programs. We gave them a lot of information they needed, and in a way we have done complemetary work knowing that Chilean avocados aren't a problem for us commercially; very much on the contrary, they develop consumption well."

The same cannot be said for the Peruvian fruit.

"For the specific case of Peruvian avocados, in reality it's complicated for us because a large volume from Peru - which is overwhelming - will enter to offer the fruit at the same time as Argentine national production, in a manner that will be a very big competition and against which we will have to defend ourselves," Figueroa said.

Growers hope the blockade against Peruvian avocados will continue, especially as a way to protect their crops against the avocado Sunblotch viroid.

If circumstances change, growers are prepared to challenge Peruvian entry through legal means, following the example of neighboring Chile.

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