Guatemala’s Exporters Association (AGEXPORT) expects to penetrate the EU market with its new Booth 8 avocado variety, a green-skinned crossbreed of Guatemalteca and Antillanca cultivars. 

This comes as the country continues to consolidate its participation in the main destination markets, being among the top 15 exporting countries globally.

"Europe is a good commercial ally for Guatemalan avocado and from 2019 to 2020 consumption increased by 73%,” said the president of the Organizing Committee, Marco Quilo.

Booth-8 is the second most produced variety in Guatemala and has great growth potential, according to the association.

AGEXPORT's Avocado Committee has continued to promote the competitive advantages to boost national production, technification and access to new markets. 

The entity expects to gain market access for this variety in the U.S. and European countries such as Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and France, among others.

Guatemala is one of the original birthplaces for avocado in the world mainly because of its appropriate agro-climatic conditions. This helps to produce a number of varieties: the Persian American Mill species, in addition to the Hass varieties, which have their highest production between the months of October to February. 

Guatemalan and Antillean Creoles are also among the most popular options. On the other hand, the Booth-8 variety is produced from July to September, which means that Guatemala has a year-round production.

In recent years, Guatemala has shipped fresh avocados to highly demanding markets such as The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama. Industrialized presentations like guacamole and avocado paste are also shipped to the U.S. and Korea. The Booth-8 variety is currently exported as fresh fruit to Central America.

So far in 2022, Spain has represented a great opportunity for the Guatemalan avocado. According to Best Markets 2021, a study done by the Market Intelligence Unit of AGEXPORT, the Spanish market represents an export opportunity with a potential of $119,410 dollars. 

"Our sector generates around 13,000 direct and indirect jobs, which means that what we are doing is important to benefit more Guatemalans in the medium and short term. In addition, this will allow us to support the consolidation of avocados in different regional and EU markets to continue expanding the admissibility that we need so much," said Quilo.