Southern Gran Canaria is preparing to host the 9th Summer Mango and Avocado Fair in Playa de Mogán on September 6th. The reality of the avocado market in the archipelago presents a much less favorable picture for consumers and restaurateurs. A strict import ban in place since 1993 has created a de facto monopoly on Canarian avocados, resulting in high prices and, according to various sectors, problems with product quality and ripening in order to sell the harvest as quickly as possible.
This situation directly impacts the finances of families in southern Gran Canaria and the operating costs of the tourism industry. Faced with high demand for avocados and the difficulty of obtaining a product at its optimal ripeness, hotels are increasingly turning to frozen avocados. This alternative allows them to guarantee the availability and quality of the product in their buffets and restaurants. According to industry sources, it's not uncommon to find fresh avocados that, despite having a dark exterior after an accelerated ripening process in sacks of fertilizer, have a hard, inedible pulp—a veritable brick inside. This is especially true when a bar menu offers avocado and shrimp cocktails, which are then obscured by a supposed pink sauce, making it impossible to see what that hard green stuff is. It could even be an apple.
Faced with this situation, supermarket chains are forced to sell local produce, often trying to justify the high price by appealing to its "Canarian" origin. A curious case is that of Carrefour, where Canary Island avocados have been labeled as "origin Spain," accompanied by an increase in the final price, which suggests a strategy to make the cost more palatable for the consumer. In the wholesale market, data from Mercalaspalmas on August 21, 2026, confirms these high prices at the source, with Fuerte avocados ranging between €6,15 and €6,25/kg, Hass between €8,40 and €8,50/kg, and other varieties between €3,40 and €3,50/kg.
It is within this context of high prices and questionable quality that the fair organized by the Mogán Town Council, in collaboration with the Gran Canaria Island Council and Cajasiete, the rural savings bank of Tenerife, is being held. The event, which this year moves to the pedestrian promenade of Avenida Los Marrero, aims to celebrate the local agricultural sector and provide an opportunity for direct sales from farmers to consumers. However, it remains to be seen whether the fair will offer a competitive alternative in terms of price and quality to the conventional market, or if it will simply become another showcase for a product that, on a daily basis, represents a significant financial burden for residents and visitors of southern Gran Canaria.
