PHL ships first batch of Hass avocados to Japan

THE PHILIPPINES has gained access to Japan’s export market for avocados, having shipped 12,320 kilos of the Hass variety from Mindanao worth $40,320 (P2.4 million) this month, the Agriculture department said on Sunday.

“We are optimistic that this access granted by Japan will lead to opportunities in other international markets for locally grown Hass avocados,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said in a statement.

Next year, the Southeast Asian nation is targeting to sell 484,000 kilos of Hass avocados to Japan worth $1.58 million.

Japan is a major buyer of Hass avocados, having imported 61,000 metric tons worth $160 million in 2023, the agency said. Key suppliers were Mexico, Peru, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

In the same statement, Agriculture Attaché to Japan Aleli Maghirang said the Philippines is the first country in Asia to export Hass avocados to Japan. “This provides local producers with an excellent opportunity to capitalize on Japan’s growing demand for fresh fruits,” she added.

The Philippines already exports bananas, pineapples and mangoes to Japan.

“Securing access to Japan’s highly regulated market for Hass avocados is a significant step forward in our trade relations with Japan,” Bureau of Plant Industry Director Gerald Glenn F. Panganiban said in the statement.

“The inclusion of Hass avocados in the Philippine export portfolio to Japan… is the culmination of over a decade of effort,” he said.

The Philippines had requested access of locally grown avocados to the Japanese market in 2011.

The agency said the addition of Hass avocados increases the Philippines’ share in Japan’s imported fruit market.

“With increasing demand for Philippine fruits in Japan and globally, the Philippines is well-positioned to strengthen its presence in the Japanese market and expand its agricultural exports throughout Asia and beyond,” the Agriculture department said.

In 2023, the Philippines exported $1.1 billion worth of agriculture and fishery products to Japan. — A.H. Halili