Peru’s Hass avocados at risk due to lack of fertilizers

Almost 50 percent of the Hass avocado hectares in Peru are at risk due to a shortage of fertilizer, Juan Carlos Paredes, the president of the Association of Hass Avocado Producers of Peru (ProHass) told Agraria.

“In total there are 50,000 hectares of this fruit, but 23,000 belong to 7,500 small farmers. For the latter, the impact of the shortage of fertilizers is worrisome,” Paredes said.

If the avocado trees lack fertilizers, they are susceptible to arriving at destination with ripening issues for the 2023 campaign.

“This is not evident at the time of harvest, but in the quality of the internal part. This situation can cause Peru to lose markets,” Paredes warned.

Large producers have various alternatives to carry out the harvest, he said.

Unlike the last seven years, in which the Hass avocado grew 15 percent annually in exports, 2022 projects to only close with a 5 percent increase when compared to 2021.

“We calculate to reach some 510,000 tons exported,” said Paredes. This is due to the political situation and the logistics crisis.