Costa Rican avocado growers recently shipped a trial avocado shipment to Europe amid hopes of gaining a foothold in the market. 

The Tarrazú Agricultural Center sent a one-metric-ton (MT) batch of Hass avocados supplied by its associated growers and expects regular exports to take place from 2019.

The organization's president and vice-president, David Calvo Mora and Francisco Elizondo Ureña, are hopeful about conquering European markets with the on-trend fruit.

A release from the Ministry of Agriculture (MAG) said that in July last year Mora and Ureña began the process to acquire a GlobalG.A.P. certification, which is required by the EU.

The representatives were given technical advice from MAG to carry out the initial trial shipment that left Costa Rica on Feb. 23 and is due to arrive in the Netherlands after a 20-day voyage.

Two people will travel to the Netherlands to participate with the import inspection on March 12 and also to begin establishing export channels to the market. 

Tarrazú, located in the center of Costa Rica to the south of capital San José, is estimated to have 2000 planted hectares of avocado groves and an annual production of 8,000MT.

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