They open the largest hass avocado plant and other varieties in Guatemala with an investment of US $ 65 million

Home Business They open the largest hass avocado plant and other varieties in Guatemala with an investment of US $ 65 million
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April 24, 2025April 24, 2025By Mario Vásquez
They open the largest hass avocado plant and other varieties in Guatemala with an investment of US $ 65 million

The new plant will strengthen avocado export, which is already sent to other countries as fresh fruit, while the authorities continue with the process for the admissibility of the fruit in the United States, said the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food (Maga).

The Avopack Packer Plant, Located in Barberena, Santa Rosa, is part of the Mission Produce group, has a processing capacity of 32 tons per hour, For a total of 256 tons per eight -hour shift, the ministry detailed.

The company’s investment amounts to about US $ 65 million (about Q500 million at the current exchange rate) And about a thousand direct jobs between the farm and the plant will be generated, the magician added.

The President of the Republic, Bernardo Arévalo, the United States ambassador to Guatemala, Tobin Bradley, as well as the Minister of Agriculture, Maynor Estrada participated in the inauguration.

“This company will contribute significantly to the economic development of the country and strengthen the export of the fruit at the international level,” he added.

President Arévalo said that “the Government, through the Maga, has worked so that our producers have the necessary tools to grow and produce better, to carry the best of Guatemala towards other borders,” the ministry cited in its communication. According to the Guatemalan News Agency (AGN) the president mentioned that The government seeks new markets for the export of Guatemalan avocado.

In 2024 the export represented Q120.7 million, with a volume of more than 12 thousand kilograms of the fruit, it was added.

The sector generates more than six thousand jobs a year, both direct and indirect, which contributes to the development of localities and family economy, Arévalo added.

At present, Guatemalan avocado is exported to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, France, Canada, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, In addition, the efforts that allow their admissibility in new countries such as the United States and Argentina have been expedited, The magician indicated.

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The authorities consider that avocado opens new opportunities for the Guatemalan agricultural sector contributing to the country’s economic development.

Estrada recently said that This is the largest avocado packing plant in the country.

We consider that the production and export of avocado will grow a lot and the unity of the ministry that is in charge of certification and inspection of plants is being strengthened.

Asked about when the process to end and put into effect the Work Operational Plan (POT) to export fresh avocado to the United States, the minister, said he could not mention any period because it depends on the US authorities, although he expressed that they have expectations that it may be as soon as possible, So that is strengthening the Unit of the Integral Program for Agricultural and Environmental Protection (PIPAA).

This is a program of the Directorate of Plant Health of the Vice Ministry of Agricultural Health of the Maga, and which reviews the phytosanitary conditions of agricultural products and makes inspection of farms, packing plants and shipments.

The signature of the POT is the last process that needs to begin the offices of the Avocado Hass to the United States. This consists of mitigation measures and systems approach that indicates the places of production free of quarantine pests.

According to information on the Electronic Mission Produce page, the company was founded in 1983 in the United States and visualized the avocado potential. Currently, they have a presence in several countries and works with partners in Guatemala to cultivate, pack and send avocados ready for exports to markets throughout Europe and the world. The partners in Guatemala continue planting and expanding their capacity as the avocado demand grows, it is indicated.

According to the Guatemalan American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham Guatemala), the company is a leader in the production and export of avocado, with operations in nine countries, including Mexico, Guatemala, Peru and various regions of Europe.

This chamber added on his social networks that the Guatemalan president stressed that “Avocado is already the third most important crop in Guatemala” by expressing the potential and relevance of the agro -export sector for the country’s economic development. On the part of that organization, the executive director Waleska Sterkel de Ortiz participated.

“With an investment of $ 85 million in Guatemala, Mission reinforces his commitment to the country as a strategic hub, taking advantage of competitive advantages such as connectivity through Guatemalan ports. These factors position Guatemala as a key player in the growth of world avocado consumption,” Amcham added.

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