A strong start to the avocado season

Consumers will be enjoying the strong start to the avocado season this year. We have harvested and packed twice as many avocados so far this season compared to last year, and as a consumer myself, I love seeing the availability of one of my favourite foods.

The season kicked off in June, with good volumes of avocados harvested in Northland and Bay of Plenty orchards by the end of the month.

Compared to early August last year, orchards have harvested over double the number of trays already. It is great to see retailers advertising new season fruit in their TV commercials, and consumers have been making the most of the plentiful supply with eye-catching displays at the front of many stores.

Latest figures show local consumers’ love for avocados continues to grow, as last year’s New Zealand avocado season achieved a new record – with the New Zealand market for fresh avocados reaching $54.5 million. This accounts for over 2.2 million trays, which is over 50 million avocados.

Demand for fresh avocado also increased across our Asian export markets last season, and we anticipate this growth to continue.

The 2018-19 season was challenging, with a wet harvest season, the withdrawal of the pre-clearance programme into Australia and more supply coming from new plantings in Western Australia. The Primary Growth Partnership kick-started our industry to develop new markets in Asia and this will continue strongly in the coming season.

Exporters invest strongly in their systems and relationships while building awareness across Asian markets, which is supported by NZ Avocado’s investment in digital platforms across six Asian markets, and education and awareness campaigns in nine Asian markets. Knowledge about the amazing attributes of avocados is increasing and we need to promote the wonderful nutrition and versatility of avocados from New Zealand to keep increasing that demand.