<p>Mexican avocado exports have increased by more than 33%, from 464,000 to 643,000 tons, during the 2012-2013 cycle, representing over $200 million in income, according to El Financiero. North America continues to remain the main consumer of avocados, having placed 518,000 tons between July 2012 and June 2013 – 40% more than the previous cycle in which $370,000 were sold.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">However, the job market diversification allowed Mexican producers to sell 125,000 tons of avocados to Japan, Canada, Central America, and Europe – a 32% increase compared to the same period of the previous cycle in which 90,000 tons were exported.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Sergio Guerrero, president of the Association of Producers and Exporters of Avocado (APEAM), noted that Mexico has established itself not only as the largest producer of the fruit, but also as the largest exporter. Furthermore, fifteen years after having entered the market, the country’s per capita consumption has increased from 200,000 tons in 1998 to 750,000 in 2013 – 518,000 of which are Mexican in origin.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“The U.S. market has tremendous potential, but we are already working to increase our fruit shipments to Japan, Canada, and Europe, and open a new market in China that would be a big consumer,” says Guerrero. “This opportunity should not be seen as a sprint but as an endurance test. It is one of those things that needs to be done to make it sustainable and open the market for the next ten or fifteen years.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Guerrero reported to be working to increase the number of orchards certified by Global GAP, a worldwide certification body for agricultural products, as the safety and quality systems meet the necessary requirements to supply the market.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">José Luis Gallardo, president of Michoacan avocado product system, considered that the end of the 2012-2013 cycle production in the country could be 1.3 million tons, but due to a frost that affected some municipalities, there would be a ten percent decrease in the next cycle without affecting domestic consumption or exports.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
