With the potential to "become the second most important avocado exporter in the world by the end of this year", the Peruvian avocado industry is working towards new goals for growth.

The country's exporter's association ADEX made a statement last Friday that yearly growth rates for shipments of avocado exports from the country show that it could soon be second place to Mexican avocados.

In 2019, Peruvian avocado exports rose by 4% in value year-on-year, reaching 160,000 metric tons (MT) - a total value of US$752m. The fruit was sent to 33 destination markets.

While the Netherlands became the second biggest exporter globally in 2018, the Latin American country thinks that its export potential is big.

During that year, Mexico was the leader in avocado shipments, making up 43% of all avocado exports with US$2.4bn in value and 392,000MT in exports.

Following Mexico in 2018, the Netherlands - with US$733m and 782,000MT - made up 13.2% of shipments.

Meanwhile, Peru made US$ 723m with its 782,000MT of avocado exports. This marked a big step for the country as it "surpassed growth of any other country and made it to the top five exporters, which also includes Spain and Chile", according to ADEX.

Next steps for Peruvian avocado exports

In order to reach its goal of becoming the second name in the avocado exporting game, ADEX said that there are various things the industry has to look out for.

It's necessary to consider, for instance, the availability of water in upcoming harvest seasons and the importance of drought control for the country. Similarly, the association emphasized the critical nature of diversification in markets.

"And to do that, we have to continue strengthening and maintaining our phytosanitary regulations," it said.

Currently, Peru is in talks with Malaysia and the Philippines to gain market entrance soon. Along with ongoing negotiations with new markets, ADEX explained that continuing a strong presence in international conferences and fairs will be central to the industry's expansion strategies.

Lizbeth Pumasunco of ADEX's commercial division detailed that the Peruvian avocado has great potential to take over some of the most competitive industries in the world.