An avocado shortage left consumers’ pockets empty as they refused to give up their favourite fruit and were obliged to pay exorbitant prices for it; the weather was blamed for causing poor growing conditions, which led to the increase in price as farmers couldn’t provide enough avocados to meet demand. But the good news is that it’s all over now; the drought has been broken and in the coming months 68,000 tonnes of avocados are expected to flow in supermarkets.
Avolution chief executive Antony Allen said Australia’s love of avocados kicked into overdrive in recent years.
“The avocado shortage earlier this year sparked a higher price in the market due to simple supply and demand economics,” he said. “Despite the rise in cost, the public’s buying behaviour remained unchanged as droves of Aussies sought to get their avocado fix.”
Mr Allen said over the past two decades, avocado production increased from 18,000 tonnes a year to 68,500 tonnes in 2015.
Western Australia Avocado Growers Association chairman Wayne Franceschi said there were not enough avocados to keep up with the growing demand. Cooler conditions and also bushfires made things more difficult and the hot weather was also another detriment for growers.
Aussie growers are now expecting ideal growing conditions as it moves further into autumn and a mammoth crop will be rolled out from now until November.
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