A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on August 10, with the epicenter in Chocó. The quake was strongly felt in Pereira, Manizales, Cali, and Medellín — all near or within key Hass avocado producing zones. Avocado trade associations are on the ground assessing damage to orchards and infrastructure.
Colombia has become an increasingly important Hass avocado supplier to the U.S. market, and this quake hit at a complicated time — the country's off-season harvest was already running below average due to weather, and the main harvest was expected to bring recovery volumes later this year. Damage to roads, packing infrastructure, or orchards in the affected departments could further delay or reduce that anticipated rebound.
Full damage assessments are still pending. Buyers sourcing Colombian Hass should be in direct contact with their suppliers to understand what, if anything, has been disrupted. Combined with ongoing Michoacán volatility, any Colombian supply setback narrows avocado availability options meaningfully.