Avocado hass export to Japan, case study: Uruapan Michoacan, Mexico

Abstract

FAO figures reveal that Mexico leads the world in avocado exports. In terms of avocado sales, Mexico's main buyer is the United States, with 2,210 million dollars sold, followed by Canada with 199 million dollars and in third place Japan with 156 million dollars. The objective of this study was to analyze the behavior of the demand of this third importing country and identify the feasibility of increasing exports to that market, specifically by producers in the Uruapan Michoacán area, since they are characterized by the cultivation of this product with the export quality required by consumers in that country. The analysis was made through a longitudinal study on the volume and value of imports made by Japan in the last 20 years, this was complemented with the calculation of the demand forecast for the next 3 years. The data obtained show a constant increase in demand from 2010, which was 44,552 tons, to 76,694 tons in 2021, with an increase of 58%, with Mexico having a share of 70,000 tons, equivalent to 91% of Japan's demand, while the forecasts for 2024, 2025 and 2026 show a demand of over 90,000 tons per year. This has evidenced the opportunity for greater participation in this market for producers in the region of Uruapan Michoacan, Mexico.