Colombian avos largely unaffected by earthquake, CAB reports

The Colombia Avocado Board (CAB), has reported that the country’s avocado production and export operations remain largely unaffected following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck western Colombia on 10 August.

CAB managing director Manuel Michel said he had contacted CAB exporter association members and spoken with avocado growers operating in several of the affected regions to assess conditions across the industry.

“Based on those conversations, reports indicate that avocado orchards, packing facilities, infrastructure systems and principal transportation routes are operating without limitations attributable to the earthquake,” he said.

Th earthquake’s epicentre was near San Jose del Palmar in the department of Chocó in western Colombia. Effects were reported across the coffee- and avocado-producing region departments of Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda, as well as Valle del Cauca. Most serious damage reports were from older buildings and areas in cities including Pereira, Cali, Quibdo, Armenia, and Manizales.Landslides temporarily affected roads in avocado-producing areas, but the CAB said major routes had now been cleared and smaller roads are expected to return to normal operations shortly. Antioquia, Colombia’s largest avocado-producing department reported little to no disruption to avocado orchards, infrastructure or agroindustry operations.

“CAB’s assessment indicates that Colombia’s Hass avocado industry remains capable of supplying the US market during the upcoming season without any expected changes,” Michel said. “Although the industry’s infrastructure was spared, we understand that some employees, their families and their communities have experienced personal losses and the industry is supporting them. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected as recovery efforts continue.”

Colombia’s main-season harvest has begun in some areas and is expected to build gradually as we move toward October and November, with the peak harvest period anticipated around January.

Sergio Plata, country manager for Baika Fruits, reported: “We did not experience significant damage to our operations in the departments of Quindío and Caldas or at our packing facility in Antioquia. Our employees are safe, and we are actively supporting affected communities in their recovery efforts. Our main-season harvest began in August, and we expect to have fruit available for shipment to the US beginning around week 38.”

Ricardo Mejia, general manager of Fruty Green, which has operations in Risaralda, also reported that the company is operating normally after the earthquake. “We began harvesting during week 33, and the main-season crop is showing encouraging quality and volume. El Niño and the possibility of below-normal rainfall remain a concern, but growers are preparing and taking the steps available to manage those conditions,” he said.

While avocado orchards and packing facilities generally avoided damage, CAB said the full extent of personal losses is still being assessed. Industry support efforts are being coordinated with CorpoHass, Colombia’s association of Hass avocado growers and exporters. Those interested in additional information on how to contribute may contact Katheryn Mejia, executive director of Corpohass at presidencia@corpohass.com