Avo-lanche

How much of a good thing is too much?

Visit any café this weekend and you can be guaranteed to see avocado featured on the menu. Australians just can’t seem to get enough of the fruit; we smash it on toast, blitz it in smoothies, and even add it to our desserts. Packed with healthy fats, avocado has built a reputation among Australia’s increasingly health-conscious consumers as nature’s butter and over the last decade the fruit has become a household staple.

Our nation's growers responded to this increase in demand and over the last 10 years avocado production has increased by a whopping 200%. This year alone has seen 65% more fruit produced compared to last year, with key contributing factors being more plants in the ground and excellent growing conditions. Currently half of all the trees in the ground are yet to bear fruit, meaning we are going to see a growth in production for years to come, with estimates set for avocado production to double by 2026. But how much of a good thing is too much? The exponential growth in avocado demand and production has resulted in an oversupply of avocados, driving the price of the fruit down. While a low cost for avocados is good for the consumer's back pocket it comes at a high cost for growers who are barely making cost production. Big retailers continue to tell their customers ‘down-down, prices are down’ but our farmers are hoping for a more fair pricing approach to ensure the sustainability of the industry. The industry has also been greatly impacted by Covid-19 and locked down cafes have been a large contributing factor to the Avo-lanche. Shane Schnitzler from Produce Time says ‘Covid-19 knocked out all of the restaurants in Sydney & Melbourne for a long time, effectively 30%-40% of the product had nowhere to go – it makes a massive difference’. Schnitzler recorded a 500% increase in demand once the announcement was made that Melbourne’s lockdown was ending in a week. Increased competition from New Zealand imports is adding another layer to the stresses felt by Australian farmers. Although the silver lining to low retail prices is an increase in consumers, this price range is unsustainable for the industry and simply cannot last. Farmers are starting to look across the sea for solutions. Currently, less than 5% of the Australian crop is sold overseas but some are hoping to access new markets to grow exports in coming years. Australian avocado marketer, the Avolution, has grown its sea freight exports to Asia by more than 30% by volume over the last 12 months. Anthony Allen, CEO of Avolution, attributed this increase in export to advances in plant breeding and on-farm management which created a more robust product that can withstand the journey over water. As the production of avocadoes continues to increase, it is important that Australians insatiable demand for the fruit increases too. The next time you’re at your local greengrocer add a few avocados to your basket to ensure the sustainability of the avocado industry and to help our growers get through the Avo-lanche. Fresh State tip: you can prolong the shelf life of your avocados by keeping them in the vegetable crisper of your fridge.

Image: Shane Schnitzler from Produce Time.