Chile: Avocado Production Strengthening
5 December 2006 Avocados represent a growing opportunity in Chile, according to a recent report from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS). There are still a large number of orchards entering their most productive stage, and while the total area planted to avocados has increased significantly during the last few years, sources told USDA-FAS that the rate of increase in planted area is expected to level off.
Future increases in planted area will be mainly in Hass varieties for the export market, which has improved in recent years, but is beginning to feel additional competition from Mexican producers. Most Chilean avocados are produced in arid regions with little rain, except during the winter months; consequently most orchards are frequently free of pests and spraying is rarely necessary. A little over 98% of all Chilean commercial avocado trees are planted in the central area of the country from Region IV through Region VI. The predominant areas are Region V (Quillota, Aconcagua Valley, and La Ligua, Petorca), with 61% of the total, and the Metropolitan Region with 21% of the total. The largest expansion in planting during the last few years has been in Region V, followed by the Metropolitan Region and Region IV. Although almost all of the expansion has been dedicated to the Hass variety, there are over 20 other varieties planted.
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