Avoscene October 2013

T H E N E W Z E A L A N D AV O C A D O G R O W E R S ’ J O U R N A L

OCTOBER 2013

Conference coverage special

Directors Bay of Plenty Ashby Whitehead NZAGA & AIC Chair Ph 07 573 6680 m. 027 283 2192 alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz Far North Ian Fulton Ph 09 406 8808 ian.fulton@clear.net.nz Mid North Sue Culham m. 021 771 686 sculham@xtra.co.nz At Large Roger Barber Ph 09 435 0785 m. 021 488 124 barbers@ihug.co.nz John Cotterell Ph 07 549 3395 m. 0274 513 138 jccotterell@actrix.gen.nz John Schnackenberg Ph 07 549 0717 m. 021 731 437 jschnack@ihug.co.nz Tony Ponder NZAGA Vice Chair Ph 07 552 4223 m. 0274 733 712 tony@flaxmillavocado.co.nz Rest of NZ David French Ph 09 238 3359 m. 0274 375 315 famille@ps.gen.nz Export Directors Alistair Young, Andrew Darling

Avoscene Advertising & Editorial Avoscene is published by New Zealand Avocado For editorial contact: Natasha Mitchell Sun Media Ltd No.1 The Strand, Tauranga Ph: 07 578 0030 Fax: 07 571 1116 email natasha@thesun.co.nz For advertising contact: Rose Hodges at Sun Media Ltd email rose@thesun.co.nz Design and production: Kym Johnson, Sun Media Ltd email kym@thesun.co.nz

Contents Regular Columns Chair’s comment CEO’s comment Exporters’ comment Packers’ comment New Zealand market comment Organic growers’comment Regional Roundups New Zealand Avocado highlights Features Conference adds value for all Marketing nutrition Healthy orchard Strong industry Clinical research into avocado benefits yielding promising results Producing improved trees takes time Avocados’ folate claim set to change Water availability major issue for Californian growers

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17 23 26 29 32 35 36 37

News 2013 NZAGA & AIC AGM 2013 Avocado Awards Industry news Avocado news from the world

39 41 43 48

Promotions Promotions update

Cover: NZ Avocado Staff “The team that delivered” (Absent: Edwina Aitchison and Bart Hofstee) Photograph by Mark McKeown/Musae Studios.

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I Chair’s Comment I

Conferen

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By Ashby Whitehead NZAGA and AIC Chair alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz

nce inspires industry I would like to start by congratulating all those involved in hosting a very successful industry conference.

A huge thank you to those that contributed; sponsors, exhibitors, guest speakers, NZ Avocado Staff and Board, event organisers, the staff and Board from Avocados Australia Ltd and the many other people and companies involved.

Also a big thanks to those growers that took the time to attend, I would like to think you came away from the conference inspired about our industry, as I certainly did. I have heard very positive feedback on the conference.

The keynote speakers were excellent; from Stephen Toplis’ entertaining insight into the economies of the Asian markets to an avocado and raspberry smoothie demonstration from Nadia Lim our NZ Avocado ambassador, to a scientific perspective on the benefits of avocados from USA based Dr Mark Dreher.

We were also updated on the developments in the world of cultivar screening and commercialisation by Dr Zelda van Rooyen from South Africa and on the direction of our very own R&D programme lead by Dr Alvaro Vidiella.

CEO John Tyas gave an update on the Australian industry and Jen Scoular presented the industry vision of a globally successful industry founded on strong collaboration and innovation across the value chain.

A highlight for a large portion of the delegates would have been the Freshmax Conference Gala Dinner with entertainment provided by Darren Carr, a ventriloquist and comedian from Australia who kept us well entertained - I haven’t laughed so much for a very long time, this was an enjoyable change from the usual exsportsperson types that are normally engaged for these events.

During the conference we held the 32nd Annual General Meeting of the NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. Grower attendance was light considering this meeting was hosted in the largest

growing region by number of PPINs, but for those of you that attended thank you for making the effort.

The main topic of conversation was the motion that the Board put forward regarding the Government Industry Agreements (GIA). As you will read on page 35, this motion was supported and the consultation process will begin with a round of roadshows in December, followed by a postal vote to determine support or otherwise for the industry to sign the GIA Deed.

At the AGM we also presented two avocado awards; one was to Leonie Batt from Whangarei.

Leonie has been a past Board member and stalwart of the industry for many years. The second award was for Dr Henry Pak, a very well-deserved award after the thirteen years that Henry has had with Avocado Industry Council.

He will be missed and we thank him for his passion to see the industry succeed.

Going back through the calendar, in July I attended the Horticulture New Zealand conference in Wellington where the main topic for discussion was Future Focus. This is a review of the organisation’s effectiveness and ability to deliver value to growers. HortNZ is also working towards finalising a working group to look at the organisation’s Board election process and structure.

I would like to acknowledge Andrew Fenton’s contribution as chairman of HortNZ over the years and wish his successor Julian Raine all the best in his new role.

With the export season upon us you will all have your orchards ready to go. One thing I would like growers to be aware of is avocado theft, which seems to be on the rise. Growers need to monitor their orchards regularly to be aware of theft. My orchard has been targeted yet again this year; I have set up alarms and put in locked gates on all entrances into the orchard to hopefully deter any further theft. Please notify the police if you have been a target.

Lastly I would like to welcome Sue Culham and Ian Fulton to the NZAGA and AIC Boards. Sue and Ian now represent Mid North and the Far North respectively. Thank you to Ian Broadhurst who stepped down from the Far North seat after six years of service to the industry.

I wish the industry well for a successful export season.  5

I CEO’s Comment I

One dir What an exciting month it’s been.

It was wonderful to see so many at the conference, and to really feel a collective desire to work together to build a stronger, more sustainable and profitable industry.

Our planning for the conference was based on providing a platform for R&D to be presented by both the New Zealand and Australian industries. We then recognised that our industry isn’t just about growing avocados, it’s about ensuring our wonderful avocados get to market in premium condition, educating consumers about the amazing nutritional properties of avocados and inspiring them to eat more avocados to enhance their health and their life.

We can’t separate out the different parts of the industry; we all need to be working together, sharing information, and building capability, knowledge and productivity in a collaborative, successful way.

We really do need to think about the whole value chain and doing our bit to optimise that.

There was exciting news announced just before the conference that the “Avocados for Export” research bid submitted to the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) by Plant & Food Research, with support from NZ Avocado, was accepted. The $4.5m R&D project will run for five years from 1 October 2013, and will see a very strong alignment between NZ Avocado and PFR to find solutions to irregular bearing and develop innovation through the value chain.

At the conference Alvaro explained that the R&D programme that we are using actual performance to suggest where we should focus our innovation, and making sure we measure our success.

It was a great to see the reactions from growers at the conference when they received the scatter chart and report on how their orchard performed against other growers, and 6

By Jen Scoular New Zealand Avocado CEO jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz

rection the industry. We do need to measure performance, we need to understand what is being done on orchards that help them perform better, and use that success to develop tools for other growers to use.

Russ Ballard, Ian Proudfoot and Stephen Toplis all presented the “bigger picture” of how and where avocados fit into the New Zealand agri-business story, where New Zealand fits in with Asia, and the opportunities and challenges for our industries. Peter Thomson, Mike Chapman and Lois Ransom gave us clear direction around biosecurity and the Government Industry Agreements. These topics are very relevant to us, and it’s very important we all read the documentation and understand the part we play in preventing biosecurity issues, and having systems that keep pests out and that ensure we don’t face residue issues in market. As if it wasn’t already clear enough from the media reports recently of Fonterra and China, growers and the industry must take biosecurity very seriously. It is a risk to every horticulture industry. The Board and staff are taking it seriously but need growers to ensure they follow best practice and meet the standards set by the industry.

Food safety came up in several of the sessions at the Asia Fruit Logistica Congress I attended in Hong Kong the week before our conference. Asia Fruit is a one day congress, followed by a three day trade show. It is the largest fresh produce trade show in Asia, and a smaller cousin of the huge Fruit Logistica in Berlin which I attended several times

during my time in Hamburg.

Trade shows (a bit like conferences) do have a bad reputation as time consuming, expensive and exhausting to organise and attend but they do provide an excellent networking opportunity, with everyone in the business; your partners, potential partners and competitors there. I learnt far more speaking directly to importers of New Zealand avocados about potential promotional activity than I could ever learn by phone or emails. Exporters were very open about introducing me to their customers.

Even the side conversations with Plant & Food Research regarding Australia and with Alan Pollard of Pipfruit were conversations I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to have, and proved very useful over a number of topics.

Key messages I heard: • Significant increase in interest in the opportunity to excel in producing “safe”, nutritious food.

• Know your consumer. Know your market. Don’t assume all Asian markets are alike.

• Food safety. Food safety. Food safety.

Sell the advantages we have: o Industry wide quality and grade standards; o AvoGreen, pest monitoring and spray diaries; o A strong, integrated export system.

Asia Fruit Magazine summarised the key messages coming out of the event: There is surging consumer demand in Asia leading some of the region’s major state-

owned enterprises and conglomerates to enter the fresh produce sector and make strategic outbound investments to secure supplies of high-quality fruit and vegetables.

The growth of population bases and economies across Asia are presenting global exporters with unprecedented trade opportunities. But beyond these there are opportunities for foreign entrants to supply their expertise and inputs to Asian countries to help up-scale and up-skill local production amid a growing imbalance between supply and demand.

A fantastic, eventful and successful month. A huge thank you to those who attended our conference. Thank you to our sponsors and exhibitors, to the Board for their support. And a huge thank you to my team. I suggested the cover of this conference edition of AvoScene was “the team who delivered”. Planning and implementation was hard work, both fast and fun, and furious and hectic, but there was no better reward than the feeling we got when 453 people gathered to talk passionately and optimistically about avocados.

Let’s be part of the amazing opportunities for New Zealand avocados in Australia and in Asia. Let’s as an industry thrive on the growth in demand for safe, healthy food, responsibly grown in a pristine environment.

Our opportunities are excellent.

There is a passion to succeed. But it does require that we are all in this together, collaborating, sharing ideas and information and heading in the same, profitable direction.  7

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By Alistair Young AIC Export Director alistair@southernproduce.co.nz

I Exporters’ Comment I

Harvesting: Market demands versus grower returns The season is underway and we are seeing many curve balls already in our crop profile and our ability to serve markets.

Unfortunately for us the Japanese and Asian markets want our smaller sizes early in the season, which is contrary to many growers’ harvest plans. Most growers don’t aspire to grow small fruit and this leads to a conflict of interests between growers and customers during the pre-Christmas period of the season.

In the international arena our competitors have the ability to offer the size the buyers want pretty much year round. The respective industries in Chile and Mexico are so large that the percentage of 30ct, for example, is adequate for most Asian needs and New Zealand has to market larger fruit against this competition each season. We have quality as an asset to offset size and value arguments, however, this makes our fruit more expensive due to the number of pieces in the box. In turn this creates resistance to our product sizing and can

cause demand issues when we least need them.

There are a few solutions to this issue early season. Growers who are thinning trees or have exposed fruit outside the canopy can pick down to utilise this fruit before it is lost to the chainsaw or to the sun. Some other growers who wish to lighten tree load may choose to pick smaller than normal to size up the balance of the crop on the tree.

The combination of all three mentioned picking systems gives us more smalls for Asia and helps dramatically to meet the demand. Growers please make sure you have identified to your packer/exporter the will to harvest small fruit for whatever motivation so exporters can utilise this fruit in the Asian window of opportunity where possible.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the threat of too much small fruit in Australia at the end of the season. New Zealand needs to be careful we do not flood the market late

with an oversupply of smalls. The best way to mitigate this risk is to flow the fruit carefully and to set up prepack programmes at retail outlets overseas in advance of the fruit being harvested.

The smaller fruit in late February can also be held and sized for the New Zealand market if your orchard management systems allow.

It’s all about farming your property for the maximum return you can squeeze from the season. Be careful and calculated about your harvest plans so they satisfy the market whilst satisfying your needs as well. Small fruit does not return as well per hectare as large fruit does, that’s a fact.

On another note, the conference was a major success and I wish to acknowledge the work of the NZ Avocado team in putting together a world-class event. I was given an instruction manual on my obligations as an industry rep and even I couldn’t get it wrong it was so organised.

Brilliant job! 

Count

16ct

18ct

20ct

Percentage

23ct

24ct

2.4%

25ct

8.7%

28ct

16.2%

30ct

19.2%

32ct

6.5%

17.3%

16.1%

5.1%

8.4%

Australian and Korean preferred sizing

Asian preferred sizing exc luding Korea (30ct preferred)

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By Linda Flegg NZAPF executive member linda@kauripak.co.nz

I Packers’ Comment I

Food safety, traceability and other nonsense Nonsense is only nonsense until something goes wrong.

Then the nonsense becomes very serious.

I am referring to product recall in the event of a contamination or residue detection in our overseas or New Zealand market.

Our clean green New Zealand image is what sells our products overseas and this includes your avocados. The New Zealand avocado industry was instrumental in becoming one of the first to develop a food safety programme under the umbrella of the NZ Food Safety Authority and this was designed to cover our New Zealand market produce as well as that destined for other countries.

At present, growers who export are audited either through GAP systems or similar that meet our customers’ requirements. What about the growers

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that supply only the New Zealand market? At the very least all growers supplying the New Zealand market should complete a local market registration with Avocado Industry Council. This entitles you to use the industry food safety programme, which includes the spray diary and the forms in the Grower Section of the AIC Quality Manual.

There is a common misconception amongst growers that food safety compliance is only for export. New Zealand supermarkets and major retailers do require food safety compliance. They know that when purchasing from reputable sources that assurances of food hygiene, traceability and residues are in place.

The next progression in this cycle is the upcoming change to the Food Act which will require all sellers of produce to our local market to be audited by the local body authority (much like our cafés, bakeries and restaurants). It will also affect those growers that pick

and sell their own fruit to wholesale or hawkers.

How this will be policed is yet to be determined. What do you as growers need to do? To save time money and stress, just sell your fruit to a reputable company that will take this food safety worry and deal with it on your behalf.

Yes, you will need to be audited to that company’s food safety programme requirements, but it will save you having to design and implement your own food safety programme. These changes will come into force in just over 12 months’ time.

Who are reputable companies?

AIC Registered packers aligned with reputable marketers spring to mind. The NZ Avocado Packers Forum Inc. (and its membership) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NZ Avocado and we adhere to best practice guidelines for local market supply.

Ultimately it is up to the grower to decide, ask the right questions and make informed decisions. 

By Glen Dunseath Business & Marketing Manager Zeafruit glen@zeafruit.co.nz

I New Zealand Market Comment I

Great start to season With export underway and three months of the 2013-14 New Zealand market season behind us, it is a good time to reflect on the season to date.

It may well be noted as a ‘model’ start to the season - managed volumes of good quality fruit accessing a receptive customer market and maintaining equitable values for all in the supply chain.

Is it luck, guesswork, or chance that the season has started this way? I think not and have two compelling reasons why not.

1) The New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference has just concluded and I would describe it as one of the most industry inclusive conferences I have ever attended. There was a wide mix of participants including growers, marketers (both export and local), trade suppliers (machinery, tech services, and chemicals), packhouses, and most importantly - customers. Many horticultural sectors forget the role that the customer, in this case supermarket groups Progressive Enterprises Limited

and Foodstuffs, play in the supply chain, what they contribute to the industry and what their key motivators are. An industry without understanding of the customer and consumer requirements is not an industry going forward. A retail buyer with an understanding of what growers need is equally important and having key retailer personnel on site and participating in industry events allows for improved understanding between suppliers and buyers.

2) Industry consolidation. It is without question that the consolidation within the export sector has had an immediate impact upon the local market. This, combined with NZ Avocado initiated crop flow planning and discussion groups, has seen a managed crop flow entering the market, reducing previous peaks and troughs and ensuring a consistent industry message through to all stakeholders - including the customers. It is a credit to those involved that in quite challenging retail trade conditions such a positive start to the season has occurred.

It was interesting to note that both retailer presentations at the conference focused on similar key issues and also

good to note all of these points were actively covered during various other presentations by conference speakers, so a good deal of work and focus is underway already. The key issues noted by retailers were: • Consistency of supply, quality, and eating experience – including ripeness • Value - how to achieve growth in consumption whilst keeping value in the category • Promotional activity – improving consumer understanding, usage, and health benefits The next couple of months will be a challenge as incoming volumes are on the rise and retail demand remains mixed, with a significant number of other fruit products also chasing consumer share.

The key will be to continue the work done so far this season, to stay ahead and be pro-active of looming supply bulges. Communication remains the key to avoiding significant drops in OGR values and local marketers will be working hard to keep pack houses, exporters, and suppliers aware of market conditions enabling effective decision making and positive outcomes. 

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By Martin Munro Chairman, NZ Organic Avocado Growers Inc martin.jane.munro@gmail.com

I Organic growers’ comment I

Organics getting out and about Our Annual General Meeting in early August was a great success, with a group of 25 enthusiastic organic growers, new members and associate members. It was held at Peter and Annette McVeigh’s orchard in Katikati.

NZ Avocado CEO Jen Scoular forwarded her thoughts, which I read out to the attendees, on working together, especially in the area of research and development. They are interested to include the onorchard innovation being used and developed by organic growers in their development of best practice.

Following the AGM we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and tour of the McVeigh’s 5.3ha orchard. They have 250 trees, predominantly Hass. It is a young and vigorous orchard to which they have applied themselves in developing a well laid out and run operation.

Thank you to Peter and Annette for providing the venue for AGM and field day.

Nutritional Values 9-12 September 2013 I attended the Fifth New Zealand

and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference along with three other executive members representing NZOAGI. What a totally awesome show NZ Avocado put on for us New Zealand growers, our Australian counterparts, overseas speakers and everyone that attended. The cost of attendance was high, but in terms of value gained - it was a bargain.

For a conventional orientated event, there were many presentations that crossed into the areas that we as organic growers operate in. BioGro CEO Michelle Glogau gave an excellent presentation titled “The value of organic”.Points of particular interest to me from the conference were: • My Elvis impersonation.

• Nutrition research from Hass Avocado Board, USA presented by Dr Mark Dreher, a fascinating insight to the health benefits of eating avocado - imagine the research targeting organic avocado.

• NZ Avocado R&D programme, given by Dr Alvaro Vidiella, who has done some great number crunching and analysis of grower performance. He gave good direction as to the way the industry is looking to identify factors limiting regular production, complex research projects, on orchard projects,

development and implementation of best practice.

NZ Avocado is interested to include the on orchard innovation being used and developed by organic growers to contribute to this development of best practice.

• Selling nutrition through branding and packaging presented by Lisa Cork. Who would have thought of an avocado as a blank billboard?

Consumers watch this space.

• Progress in understanding avocado pollination presented by David Pattemore. All eyes on the humble bumble bee. This research will fit perfectly into organic production, and Declan please remember my request for spells to cast on thrips.

After the conference Jane and I hosted two visits from people we met at the conference; one was an organic grower from New South Wales, who has 1500 avocado trees and is in the process of planting a further 3000 in tight rows.

The second guest was Anna Petrou and her family. Anna is the communications manager for Avocados Australia Ltd. Ours is the first organic orchard she has visited and it was the first time her son had seen an avocado tree.

We were very happy to host these people and had fun making friends at the conference and networking with people from different locations and sections of the industry.

A big thank you from the New Zealand Organic Growers Inc. to Jen Scoular and her team at NZ Avocado for this awesome event.  13

Regional Roundups FAR NORTH

By Ian Fulton

Thanks to all the Far North growers that supported my nomination for the NZAGA executive elections. For those that do not know my background, seven years ago as a lifestyle change and a move to the best fishing in New Zealand, I purchased a recently planted orchard just south of Houhora. Prior to purchasing the orchard, my professional career included environmental management, mine site rehabilitation, soil conservation and agricultural engineering.

It was pleasant to see the number of Far North growers that made the effort to attend the recent conference. This conference was a great opportunity for networking - that is a real benefit of conferences. The scientific production information presented may have been heard before, a

AT LARGE

By Tony Ponder

Conference week was an avocado industry good news story in so many ways and showcased much of what is so good about this industry; the successful joint conference, commercial collaboration, strong grower participation, excellent trade support, a unified AGM, a successful MBIE Bid and the announcement by MPI of the progression of our China market access aspirations.

My congratulations to the NZ Avocado team and our Australian colleagues for a very well executed event and to those sponsors and particularly my fellow growers thank you for your investment and commitment to making this event successful.

There was a real buzz associated with the conference as attendees moved between marketing, orchard and industry related topics, the sessions were informative, relevant and the engagement provided real value for those who took the time to attend.

Our AGM was well attended and I sense from the remit support and the mood of the discussion that many growers are now more confident with our strategic direction, the business plan and general disclosures. All good stuff but much more that still needs to be done!

One general business item in particular and the ensuing discussion got me thinking in the days immediately post the AGM; what we think we have ready and ultimately our ability to respond effectively to an international incident may be two entirely different things. I can still hear Ron Bailey’s wise council resonating in my ears as he cautioned complacency in

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refresher nevertheless. Something new that I found very interesting was the medical research from Dr Mark Dreher on the nutrition of avocados.

Picking for the local market commenced in mid-June, which was a couple of weeks later than usual. For those orchards that had early maturity, the local market returns were some of the highest ever achieved. Export picking is now in full swing with pack-outs about normal, though some of the better orchards have achieved well over 90 per cent.

As most orchards in the Far North show various levels of tree decline, winter is the ideal time to identify areas that are affected by poor drainage, whether it is elevated groundwater tables or surface water ponding. Once areas have been identified, remedial work should be planned for the drier periods of the year. On my orchard, areas of tree decline can be mostly attributed to poor surface water drainage between the humped rows.

this area and highlighted the experiences and learning from the recent Fonterra and Zespri issues. How relevant is this to our industry I hear you ask?

Our growth strategy and the emergence of new markets significantly highlights the risk in this area. By 2050 there will be nine billion mouths to feed worldwide, two billion middle class and massive demand for more food of higher quality that is traceable and produced sustainably. Take China alone, where 385 million people will migrate into cities over the next decade, with big dietary changes taking place. Food supply shortages are projected in the next decade and the import growth of fresh food is as much about food security as it is food safety.

Our opportunity will come from understanding these new consumers and aligning our brand promise with market entry strategies, food marketing, food safety commitments, supply security and sustainability to realise the value proposition required to drive profitability in the OGR. There are risks and if we want to fuel this economic food boom with avocados from New Zealand, we need to be wary about becoming complacent around consumer attitudes to buying fresh produce. Our new and emerging customers need to be confident that any complaints will be taken seriously and acted upon quickly.

When appropriate, reviewing our prevention, preparedness and recovery procedures, simulating an exporter product recall and enacting the avocado industry response protocols would be a good way to assess whether the current engagement procedures and decision making are likely to be effective.

Growers need to be confident that our crisis management plans are effective and to quote Professor Gray from Otago University: “Being seen to act in our customers’ interests will be more persuasive than any apology.”

News

and views from your regional NZAGA Grower Representatives

MID NORTH

By Sue Culham

Firstly I would like to thank Mike Eagles for the years of service he has given to the avocado industry and in particular the Mid North region. He is still very much involved with the growing of his own avocados and I am sure he will be around discussing and watching local issues.

This will be the first of my Regional Roundup columns and for those of you whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting I am sure that I will run into you during my term as your Regional Representative. Thank you for the support already shown from many growers.

My husband Shane and I have been growing avocados in Whangarei for nine years and I am passionate about this dynamic industry. I come from a finance background and since planting our orchard in 2004 I have up-skilled myself by completing my Level 4 Production Management in Horticulture, graduating Horticulture NZ Leadership Programme in 2011 and I am a current member of the Northland Horticulture Forum. I have a seven-year-old daughter Jade who at the age of four understood what a “cuke” was. Succession planning in place - tick.

Just recently returning from the Fifth Joint New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference “Nutritional Values” held in Tauranga, I found myself amazed that as a grower I wasn’t eating half an avocado a day! The health benefits from just that are huge; we have a fantastic

BAY OF PLENTY

By John Cotterell

I am writing this regional roundup less than a week after our joint New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference. This event ran like clockwork, a big thank you to all the NZ Avocado staff that put in a massive amount of work, mostly behind the scenes. I never heard a negative comment from anyone that attended and I had a number of growers say it was the best conference they had ever been to; the calibre of speakers was generally excellent, the AGM had good discussion around GIA with some food for thought for the directors.

Congratulations to Ian Fulton and Sue Culham for becoming the two new NZAGA Executive members and to Roger Barber for being re-elected for another term. Ian Broadhurst’s hands-on practical knowledge and Mike Eagles’

ambassador with Nadia Lim showing us how easy it is to make a smoothie for breakfast and conference speaker Dr Mark Dreher from USA, presenting us with evidence on research that is published, currently in progress and preliminary findings on the nutritional values of avocados.

If we as an industry can somehow influence consumers to understand these values, it will go a long way to proving that the food we are growing is and will be a major part of their daily dietary intake.

This conference was also about the nutrition that is essential for growing healthy trees and we had some very informative speakers on plant health. To expand on this I was lucky enough to spend time with Alvaro Vidiella of NZ Avocado, Kerry Everett (Plant & Food Research) and Zelda van Rooyen (Westfalia Technological Services – South Africa) after the conference when we spent the day visiting orchards in the Whangarei area, in particular the new cultivar trials and looking at the health or decline of these trees. This is an area that we all need to work on together as growers and share material/evidence of what is working, what’s not and what changes can we all make to have a healthy tree.

I will be re-instating the Discussion Group and if you would like your email address added to the contact list for this group, please e-mail me at sculham@xtra.co.nz or phone me on 09 437 7242 or 021 771 686.

Lastly I would like to congratulate Leonie Batt (my neighbour) and stalwart of the avocado industry for her Avocado Award announced at the AGM; she is an inspiration to us all.

passionate regional representation will be missed, but new blood is good.

In the Bay of Plenty we are two to three weeks away from full flowering; some polliniser trees have a number of flowers open now. Growers need to do everything they possibly can to give the best chance of getting a profitable fruit set. This includes spraying boron onto flower buds at the cauliflower stage; arranging to have strong beehives in your orchard as soon as you have Hass flowers open, not on the tenth of the tenth because that’s when they went in last year; keep the grass short to reduce flower competition and to allow the ground to be warmed up by the sun, which will then radiate from the ground during the night.

There are a number of growers in the Bay struggling to control six spotted mites at the moment with very few viable spraying options because of long withholding periods and picking dates to work around. Paramite is a very good product but the long withholding period for Japan is restricting its use.

15

New Zealand Avocado Highlights MBIE Bid successful Following collaboration with Plant & Food Research the avocado industry has successfully secured $4m of Government investment into research.

The announcement from Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce will see investment over the next five years into the Plant & Food Research project Avocados for Export, which aims to double New Zealand’s average avocado yield, overcome irregular fruit bearing and introduce new storage and shipping systems to export increased volumes of fruit.

Read more about this on page 45.

Nutritional Values conference held The Fifth New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference – Nutritional Values, was held 9 – 12 September at the

ASB arena in Tauranga. More than 450 delegates enjoyed three days of networking and learning. Feedback has been very positive and we thank all those growers who attended and especially the sponsors and exhibitors who made the event possible.

New Zealand public relations campaign underway Our season launch media kits have been sent to 30 top women’s, lifestyle and food media editors and writers plus influential New Zealanders. The information packs have received very positive feedback and pickup for future articles and features.

Nadia Lim is on board as the NZ Avocado Ambassador again and we are looking forward to a great season with lots of positive coverage of avocados and great value back to growers.

Picking our brains is all part of the service When you need unbiased advice, talk to the Farmlands Horticulture technical team.

Call our experienced technical team; we’ll come to you: Northland John Lees 027 612 1562 Helensville Maria Fathollahi 027 704 9263 Pukekohe Steven Dass 027 457 2742

FCSL FAR21973

Bay of Plenty Mark Loeffen 027 705 6215

16

Our philosophy is simple: to provide the best advice to the grower without the hard sell.

Waikato Brett Turner 027 660 1165

We have the knowledge and expertise to help maximise crop production and increase your bottom line. And we’ll share it free of charge.

Hawke’s Bay Chris Herries 027 443 3910

East Coast Joe Lenaghan 027 555 6080 Wairarapa Sam Black 027 227 2052 Organic and Biological Unit Gareth Ingram 027 511 8097

Our advisory service is backed up by a full range of competitively priced horticulture products available through conveniently located Farmlands stores.

Trusted advice without the hard sell

Horticulture

Conference adds value for all New Zealand Avocado hosted more than 450 delegates at a “fantastic”, “inspiring” and “exciting” conference from 9-12 September 2013 at the ASB Arena in Tauranga.

By Midge Munro NZ Avocado Communications Manager mmunro@nzavocado.co.nz

Speakers and programme Nutritional values attracted 55 quality speakers and panellists who were not all just from the avocado industry. We included economists - Stephen Toplis, BNZ, and Ian Proudfoot, KPMG; business people from other successful industries such as Comvita’s CEO Brett Hewlett and a former marketing specialist for Zespri, Natalie Milne. There were also medical researchers and nutritional experts such as Dr Mark Dreher, representing HAB; Karen Bishop from the University of Auckland; and Lisa Yates from Australia. We also had representation from New Zealand’s supermarket sector, Andrew Keaney from Foodstuffs and Ben Bartlett from Progressive Enterprises. A highlight was NZ Avocado Ambassador Nadia Lim who demonstrated a delicious and easy to make avocado and raspberry smoothie.

Nutritional Values was the fifth meeting of the four yearly conferences between NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. and Avocados Australia limited. These events present a chance to share information on science, marketing and industry systems and also to get together with growers, scientists and industry participants from different situations and sections of the value chain to network and share ideas.

The theme of the conference was Nutritional Values and was designed to inspire growers and show the industry the bigger Sponsors and industry exhibition picture. This business goes beyond the orchard gate; it involves Industry support was immense; the exhibition was sold out the markets, the consumers and the forces that influence them and there were sponsors in all of the sponsorship tiers. We and their behaviour. would especially like to thank AVOCO for their The conference sessions were made up of support in the role of Principle Conference “I found it really three streams; Marketing Nutrition, Healthy Partner and the Horticentre Trust for their Orchard and Strong Industry – these are also support as a Gold Sponsor. Also AGMARDT inspiring, key three very important pillars of focus for the for sponsoring the travel of two of our speakers. note speakers were New Zealand industry and closely aligned The conference provided a chance to connect with the NZ Avocado five year plan. It was with growers, customers and colleagues and fantastic.” clear over the course of the conference that the organising committee hopes that all all of these areas need to be in top condition sponsors and exhibitors took advantage of this Chris Ridder, if we are to advance our market share and opportunity.

New Zealand grower. value; however, these elements are not John Carroll from Principal Conference controlled by just one group of people – it is Partner AVOCO felt the conference was a great the participants in the entire value chain that way to launch their new venture to the industry. must work together to ensure success.

“From AVOCO’s point of view, it was great timing - the start Overall feedback has been very positive - key words taken from of the harvest and the start of AVOCO. Our supporters really some of the comments are used in the opening of this article felt very connected to something new and were excited about and are characteristic of a sentiment shared by most delegates. what AVOCO will bring to the industry. And while AVOCO is There has also been some good constructive feedback which has new and is exciting, it’s the strength of the foundations and the been taken on board and will be used to help us improve future experience of the people involved that makes such a difference. events.

This was apparent at the conference. continued...

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Aongatete Coolstores Ltd/Avoject – www.cooolstore.co.nz/products AsureQuality Ltd – www.asurequality.com Avocados Australia Limited – www.avocado.org.au Avocado Oil New Zealand Limited – www.avocado-oil.co.nz AVOCO TM BT9 Technologies Limited – www.bt9-tech.com Capital Tractors & Machinery Limited Carbon Conditioning (2012) Ltd – www.nulifehumates.co.nz Colour Vision Systems Pty Ltd – www.cvs.com.au Dow Agro Sciences Ltd – www.dowagro.com/nz Freshmax NZ Ltd – www.freshmax.co.nz Glenbrook Machinery – www.glenbrook.co.nz GPS-it Limited – www.gpsit.co.nz Grochem NZ – www.grochem.co.nz Grosafe Chemical Limited - www.grosafechemicals.co.nz Hill Laboratories – www.hill-laboratories.com

Horticentre Trust - www.horticentre.co.nz Hydralada Company Ltd – www.hydralada.com Jenkins Freshpac Systems/Sinclair Systems/J-Tech Systems – www. jenkinsgroup.co.nz Just Avocados Ltd – www.justavocados.co.nz Kubota / New Holland – www.norwood.co.nz Label Press (QLD) Pty Limited – www.labelpressaustralia.com.au Marsh Limited - www.newzealand.marsh.com New Zealand Avocado – www.nzavocado.co.nz/industry Omnia Specialties NZ Ltd – www.omnia.net.nz Powerco – www.powerco.co.nz Propak Industries - www.propakindustries.com.au Queensland Plastic/Chemjet - www.queenslandplastics.com.au Radfords Software Ltd – www.radfords.co.nz Silvan New Zealand Pty Ltd – www.silvannz.co.nz Tama Stretch Pallet Netting - www.transportect.co.nz

Other conference supporters Apata Ltd – www.apata.co.nz Compac Sorting Equipment – www.compacsort.com Cooltainer New Zealand Ltd - www.cooltainers.co.nz Hortplus – www.hortplus.com

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Port of Tauranga – www.port-tauranga.co.nz Trevelyan’s Pack & Cool Ltd – www.trevelyans.co.nz Winstone Wallboards Ltd – Gypsum – www.gypsum.co.nz

Conference adds value for all continued

Pruning contractor Mike Dillon explaining to delegates how the trees have been pruned.

Trevelyan’s packs 400,000 trays of avocados and nine million trays of Green, Gold and Organic kiwifruit fruit for 220 orchards from Katikati to Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty, through to the Hawke’s Bay and as far south as Taumaranui in the King Country.

Delegates were taken on a tour of the packing facility by avocado manager Daniel Birnie and general Field Trip manager, Stephen Butler. The shed was “The avocado conference On the last day of the conference, packing avocados at the time and delegates was outstanding. You delegates got to head out and see some of were able to see this process in action. the Bay of Plenty avocado industry first Following this, the tour went to Plant & guys did a great job hand. Half of the delegates headed south of Food Research’s Te Puke site where Stuart facilitating and bringing the conference venue for Kiwifruit country Kaye and Mark Goodwin discussed the the whole thing together.

- Te Puke, and the other half were taken science and breeding programme plus north to Katikati. their work with honey bees and also the Well done.”

In Te Puke, delegates visited Ron and bumblebee domicile trials.

Shirley Bailey’s 200ha property, which - Brett Reid, MG Marketing.

Delegates were then treated to a tasting of consists of a dairy, kiwifruit and a 15ha the various varieties of the kiwifruit cultivars avocado orchard. The family has been on PFR are developing. this land for 50 years.

In Katikati, delegates managed to dodge the rain in John The discussion lead by Ron, Chris Bailey – orchard manager, and Cindy Cotterell’s shed while David Pattemore discussed Alvaro Vidiella - NZ Avocado Innovation Manager, and Bart the bumblebee domicile trial underway at the property, Mike Hofstee - NZ Avocado research technician, focussed on new Dillon described the pruning methods used and John went cultivars and pruning. through the history and performance of the orchard.

The Bailey’s property is home to an industry trial of 0.3ha The 8.5ha property has 4.6ha in avocados with most trees of Hass, Maluma and Carmen on Dusa, Bounty, Duke7, aged 20+ years old. There is a new 0.25ha planting of Hass Latas, AIC1 and AIC3 rootstocks as well as 1.5ha of new on Dusa rootstock in an area that was previously planted with plantings of Hass on Dusa and Bounty rootstock in a replant 30+ year old avocados which were too high to pick with a situation. The trees being replaced were 20+ years old and had 10 metre elevated work platform and were out to 24 metre symptoms of tree decline. spacings. Dusa rootstock was chosen as the Cotterells believes Next was a trip to Trevelyan’s packhouse, a family owned this performs well in a replant situation. facility with its beginnings in 1965. continued...

“It was a chance for everyone to ask questions and glean information. As a result, everyone felt at ease. We could see it in the growers, that they were already feeling proud to be a part of AVOCO, and the conference allowed us to demonstrate further the logic of what we’re doing and why it can be successful,” says John.

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Conference photography by Mark McKeown / Musae Studios

“The topics and speakers were carefully chosen and suited to the task, the field trips and dinner second to none and the overall organisation seemed to work like clockwork.”

Simon Newett, DAFF QLD.

“It wa sc good c ertainly a ve confer all to focus ry th en as gro ce on nutri e wers w tion ere ab see jus le t tw health hat a fabul o ou p trying roduct we a s re to suc ces grow.” sfully Sid T New Z urnbull, ealand grower .

20

Conference adds value for all The orchard has an annual Phytophthora control programme and a fertiliser programme. The orchard is also irrigated with frequency determined by irrometers.

From here we travelled to Apata pack house which has been in operation for 30 years and is New Zealand’s largest avocado post-harvest facility Kiwifruit provides the core component of Apata’s business, with several million trays passing through Apata coolstores from March to November, whilst avocados are harvested and packed year round with the export season spanning September through to March.

Jim Tarawa, John Bird and Niko Tahu lead the tour of the facility, which was packing avocados at the time. Delegates got to watch the whole packing process from bin tip to pallet strapping – a fascinating display of complex machinery and processes washing, sorting, grading and sizing the avocados for the various markets.

The final stop was Avocado Oil New Zealand where CEO Brian Richardson took delegates through the story of the 11 year old company and explained that the world’s best avocado oil is produced in New Zealand. Avocados are a tropical fruit and the lower temperatures in which New Zealand avocados are grown result in a slower maturing fruit with a specific profile of fatty acids, which contributes to the unique composition of New Zealand avocado oil.

The cold press process used to create The Grove brand of oil ensures that it reaches consumers in its purest and most

continued

nutritionally beneficial form.

A highlight was an up close look at the new avocado powder which Avocado Oil New Zealand launched in Baltimore, USA last month. This product is aimed at nutraceuticals, natural health products and cosmetics and personal care products.

We finished up with an oil tasting which encouraged many of the delegates to purchase oil to take home.

Media coverage We were swamped with media enquiries and coverage in the lead up to and during the conference – it was impossible for anyone in the Bay of Plenty not to have seen or heard something about the conference or the avocado industry in print, on the radio or on TV. During the conference our industry was also highlighted in national media.

The industry was portrayed as having challenges but also as having great potential and the vibrancy to act on that potential.

The conference was certainly a great display of the entire industry working together – from the range of presenters to the industry exhibition and the interaction happening between all delegates, speakers and industry suppliers – there was a real feeling of collaboration and a united force to take the industry forward.

The next joint conference is due to be held in Australia in 2017 and the World Avocado Congress is coming up in Peru in 2015. We hope you will consider attending these events. 

“Great conference and great location and venue!

Great job.”

Australian grower.

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MARKETING THE BEST

AVOCADOS IN NEW ZEALAND AND AROUND THE WORLD

Nadia Lim

JARROD REDWOOD Avocado Program Manager P +64 9 573 8581 M +64 27 200 0295 E jredwood@freshmax.co.nz

KIM FRASER Domestic Manager P +64 9 917 1485 M +64 21 629 816 E kfraser@freshmax.co.nz

RODGER BAYLY Export Marketing P +64 7 985 6802 M +64 21 622 577 E rbayly@freshmax.co.nz

DAvE ALDERTON Technical Services M +64 21 505 814 E dalderton@freshmax.co.nz

22

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Marketing nutrition: Consumer education, fruit quality, key to driving growth Consumers need to be educated about avocados’ attributes as a unique whole food with scientifically proven health benefits and great taste, in order to drive demand and improve grower returns.

This was a message reinforced by many speakers at Nutritional Values.

It was Dr Mark Dreher, president and chief science officer, nutrition science solutions and nutrition research advisor for the Hass Avocado Board, who presented the latest research findings on avocados’ health and nutrition benefits. The board has commissioned research in the fruit’s role in the areas of cardiovascular health, weight management, healthy living and type 2 diabetes and the findings are positive (see story page 32).

Midge Munro, Communications Manager at NZ Avocado, told delegates the industry has adopted a public relations focus to raise the profile of avocados among consumers in New Zealand.

“Using people who are recognisable and trusted such as NZ Avocado Ambassador Nadia Lim, to deliver messages to the public about how good avocados are for them is an effective use of the budget we currently have.

“PR is a powerful tool but it’s a “slow burn” and the results are not instant. However, it is a very efficient and effective use of our promotions budget and the message is certainly getting out there, being heard and being acted on.”

Research by the industry conducted in 2011 showed that avocados were not a traditional mainstream food and many New Zealanders were unsure of how to use them. There were also misconceptions around about the fat content.

“That perception is changing and the New Zealand media now understands that the fat in avocados is good fat and more stories are coming out saying that,” says Midge.

Lisa Cork, owner and director of Fresh Produce Marketing Ltd, says the industry is missing the opportunity to tell consumers just how good avocados are by not putting nutrition information on fruit labels.

“In fresh produce we have some of the healthiest products in the world and yet on the product itself we have absolutely nothing to tell our story. To some degree we are failing to optimise what it is that makes produce unique because our packing has a huge opportunity to help sell more product.

“Packaging matters. Packaging is seen by thousands, tens of thousands and in some cases depending on the market, even hundreds of thousands of shoppers a day. It works for you 365 days of the year. There are very few other media that work that hard. You can put a sales message or buy me message on

a sticker or your pack and as most are already investing in the cost of a sticker, you can do that at almost no extra cost to turn your packing into a sales tool.

“Packaging can be a small sticker, a sticker on a food pack or printed tops of net-long bag. It is seen at point of decision by shoppers who are walking by or standing in front of avocado displays and your packaging is the last item that speaks to them to compel them to buy.”

Packaging or stickers at the point of sale (or point of decision) reinforce messages to consumers through other channels such as traditional media and social media.

Natalie Milne, formerly of Zespri, told the conference, that while avocados have significant health attributes, marketing those characteristics benefits all other avocado producers too.

The New Zealand industry should promote what is unique about its avocados including size, quality and taste but building distribution and channel management is the primary focus when entering a new market, she says.

“Zespri uses health marketing as a supporting strategy which sits alongside taste, quality and brand but these have to come first when developing a market.”

Health messaging becomes important as consumption increases, as it gives consumers a reason to believe and motivates repeat purchases.

“Any health messaging should be focused on good health, not curative as it’s just not believable.”

Avocados have a good story to tell around the fruit’s content of good fats, fibre and omega and easily fit into the kinds of claims which are permitted to be made in markets such as the USA and European Union, says Natalie.

Brett Hewlett, Comvita CEO, told how their company had turned Manuka honey, once considered a nuisance because it was hard to process, into a very high value product, thanks to branding, innovation, research and understanding what customers want.

“Manuka honey used to be a throw away product fed to cattle because it goes very glutinous but Comvita has transformed the whole value of Manuka honey.”

By adding value through branding, incorporating the honey in medical products such as wound care and in beauty products, Comvita has taken Manuka honey from a bulk price of around $12 a kilo to up to $500 per 250 grams. Achieving those gains takes significant investment of capital in research and development, says Brett.

“The most value can be created when you get as close as possible to the end consumer. The most important thing to continued...

23

Marketing nutrition: Consumer education, fruit quality, key to driving growth Continued

recognise is that value is created in the minds of our consumers.

That’s where the moment of truth begins and ends - in the minds of consumers.”

Comvita’s success at adding value to Manuka honey is a classic example of value-add but to create a value proposition, producers must know what the value drivers are for their consumers.

Even though avocados are a great natural food, consumers can be turned off by inconsistencies in quality and supply, says Andrew Keaney of Foodstuffs.

Andrew says quality at the beginning of the season is usually really good but can falter when the volume pressure comes on.

“As an industry we seem to deliver the worst experience to customers in the height of the season.

“As a consumer I’ve been affected by inconsistency when I have purchased two avocados of very different quality at the same time. From a consumer’s perspective, an inconsistent experience is a fast way to turn them away from category and they may not come back.”

However, Andrew says the avocado category is an exciting one with huge potential to grow value and volume.

“To achieve that requires real focus by all stakeholders. It is up to us to work together to deliver and capitalise on the potential of avocados for all stakeholders.

“We should celebrate the success achieved by the New Zealand avocado industry to date. We’ve seen significant growth in terms sales and production and growth in export markets. What is pleasing for us as local retailers is seeing greater focus on the domestic market which has grown at an astounding rate to be around half of industry value, up from one third 10 years ago.”

Ben Bartlett of Progressive Enterprises Ltd agrees quality and supply are issues for the New Zealand market. The avocado industry collectively needs to take a strategic approach to raising the profile of avocados in New Zealand, he says.

While avocados account for five per cent of fruit sales at Countdown supermarkets, there are challenges because of poor fruit quality. Ben says there needs to be accountability from the

24

tree to the shelf. Variability of conditioning, maturity and grade standards are also an issue.

Consumer education should focus on the health benefits, nutrition, selection, storage and handling information and how to select the perfect avocado for various uses. To ensure product consistency, repeat purchase and category growth, Countdown has, for the last five years, implemented a nationwide comprehensive avocado conditioning programme.

Many shoppers, says Ben, want an avocado which is ready to use in the recipe they are planning for that night.

The vital role the New Zealand market plays in maximising grower returns has been clearly illustrated by the record $28.7 million it earned in the 2012-2013 season says Bevan Jelley, of New Zealand Avocado.

That return was a 50 per cent increase on the previous season, and 30 per cent higher than ever before.

The industry’s five year plan has among its goals and objectives to “maximise grower value over the long term by a disciplined approach to market development and retention”.

“In 2012 we undertook market analysis of the avocado value chain in New Zealand and spoke to growers, packers, marketers, retailers and consumers to identify the key issues and challenges in the New Zealand market and the opportunities to create more value for everyone along the value chain.”

That analysis revealed a wide range of issues which have been grouped into five key areas. These focus areas form the basis of NZ Avocado’s strategy to maximise value in the New Zealand market. They are: improved information sharing and collaboration; informed flow planning and discipline in flows to market; understanding the supply chain to ensure gaps and weaknesses are addressed; improved quality to consumers including early season maturity; and increasing consumption by raising the visibility of avocados.

The New Zealand market for avocados is maturing and the nutrition and usage information now available to consumers is enhancing the offering and supporting the increased value the industry is aiming for. 

“The conference reminded me that I am part of something bigger.”

- Harvester.

“Prior to the conference, people may have been questioning the ongoing value of these Trans-Tasman conferences, but this one has reminded people of their value and importance in terms of building a confidence in our industry.”

John Carroll, AVOCO.

“It was a pleasure to speak at the conference and the talk on the health benefits of avocados has not only got my family eating more already, but was an inspirational example of how research can add value to one of our primary products.”

Ian Proudfoot, KPMG.

25

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Healthy orchard: Growers must change their ways to effect change Alvaro Vidiella

Irregular bearing is a condition which will respond well to changes in management practices – that was among the messages to come from speakers in the healthy orchard stream.

A panel discussion on nitrogen management for avocado trees was among the best attended of the conference, with growers keen to hear the views of Colin Partridge of Team Avocado; Jerome Hardy, technical manager with Primor and Lindsay Heard of Brenmark Horticultural Consultants and Simon Newett, principal extension horticulturalist with AgriScience Queensland.

Colin began with a presentation of information, generally agreed upon by the other panellists. These included that nitrogen appears to be the most important of the essential elements required for avocado production.

“But I do not believe it is the most important factor affecting alternate bearing or irregular bearing. If it was, the alternative bearing issue would have been solved by now,” Colin said.

Nitrogen management can help alleviate irregular bearing but only if the other very important factors are addressed – late harvest, pollinisers, irrigation, root rot control, stock scion combinations and pruning intervention.

Without irrigation or rain, nutrients 26

cannot be taken up. In New Zealand, spring and summer can be windy and or very dry. Fertigation is an option but it is only as good as the irrigation system delivering it. Most irrigations systems in New Zealand are not optimally designed and managed.

When it comes to nitrogen, a little and often approach is best.

In a separate address to the conference, Alvaro Vidiella, innovation manager with NZ Avocado, said the New Zealand industry’s average yield is not very good and it varies widely.

“In the top 200 hectares for the last four years the average yield is higher but still not very high. However, we do have some orchards with high yields and low variability.”

Those high producing orchards will form part of research studies and Alvaro says initial findings show pinning down exactly what is happening on orchard and what makes a difference to performance is not easy, as an avocado orchard is a complex system where circumstances change constantly.

High producing orchards are found alongside those which don’t perform as well and while some may have a unique microclimate or soils, management practices make a difference. However, even on high producing orchards, some blocks may not perform as well as others.

New Zealand growers who attended the conference were given a print out from NZ Avocado of where their orchard sat

on the industry performance scatter chart (shown on the opposite page).

The scatter chart shows the performance of each PPIN, using the average of the last four years yield and irregular bearing index. Ideally, performance is high in yield - charted on the left hand vertical axis, and low in irregular bearing index – charted on the horizontal axis. The chart is sectioned by level of performance; green being very good down through light green, orange, then into red, which is low yield and high irregular bearing. The irregular bearing index used is an internationally accepted formula taking, in the current year, year two plus the yield of year one minus the yield of year two and then dividing that by the sum of both years’ yields.

When calculating the monetary benefit of good performance at an OGR level we see that a poor performing orchard is achieving only one fifth of the return of a good performing orchard, demonstrated by the $1 versus the $5 on the second chart on the opposite page.

This is a good start to measuring and benchmarking performance of orchards in New Zealand. The industry can see current performance and can measure over time the impact of developing best practice and up-take of this by growers.

Grant Thorp, senior scientist at Plant & Food Research, said productivity on avocado orchards has not lifted in the past 40 to 50 years while apple and kiwifruit industries have significantly increased crop yields.

It’s a real travesty for the avocado industry that yield hasn’t risen and if growers continue to do what they have always done they will get the same results.

“High crop loads on mango trees can regulate gibberellin metabolism and inhibit return bloom. In avocado, as in mango, we need to understand when this inhibition occurs so we can optimise the timing and intensity of flower and/or fruit thinning to ensure consistent yield.” (Gibberellins are natural plant growth regulators).

Preliminary trial work on avocados in New Zealand appears to show that removing fruit from the trees in February may have a dramatic impact on flowering, Grant says.

“All of the current season’s fruit were removed from one group of trees in February 2013, and the remaining trees were left as controls. In spring 2013, the treatment trees (with fruit removed) have early and profuse flowering while the control trees with fruit retained, have delayed and sparse flowering.

“By repeating these treatments over time we will determine when fruit inhibit flower development so we can use crop management techniques to achieve more consistent yields.

“If we really want to start increasing bottom line tonnes per hectare for avocado, we have got to do something different. The new paradigm for avocado orchards is going from big trees to small trees.”

The apple industry took 50 years to go from a few big trees to the hectare to where it is now and one of the factors has been the use of dwarfing rootstocks.

“What we are trying to do is transfer the same principles to avocado trees.

Progress has been made in New Zealand, California and Chile to develop small tree, high density orchards based on the slender pyramid training system.”

As well as taking part in the panel discussion, Simon Newett presented the findings of his scoping study on avocado alternative bearing in Australia. In 2012 he visited 54 growers, consultants, extension officers and pack-shed managers, collecting information from 51 orchards about their environmental, management and yield history as part of the study.

In October 2012 his findings were considered by an expert panel which came to the conclusions that “Australia currently has only a minor problem with alternate bearing but does have a problem with irregular bearing”.

Simon’s study found that flower initiation, (which is associated with alternate bearing) does not appear to be a major issue in Australia however, pollination and fruit-set appears to be the biggest issue. Fruit retention is the second biggest issue but good managers reported that the second fruit shedding event in particular can be minimised through better management, especially irrigation.

Simon said growers are using a number of practices to minimise yield fluctuations.

These include: harvesting earlier and applying higher rates of nitrogen as soon as it is apparent that a big crop has been set not only to feed this crop but also to generate leaf growth to produce carbohydrates for the next flowering and crop.

Ensuring boron levels are adequate, closer monitoring of soil moisture and being more responsive with irrigation applications, using more mulch and overhead misting during heat waves are also carried out.

Improving canopy management, timing individual limb removal, pruning every year and cincturing limbs to be pruned off after harvest also helps.

The judicial use of plant growth substances and introducing more bees, but not until 10 to 30 per cent of flowers are open is also beneficial.

Alvaro says there is no silver bullet to solve the industry’s problems of irregular bearing but there is hope.

“We have to have an integrated approach and look at the different sources of variability in different orchards to see how they affect productivity and find which sources are the most limiting factors. If we understand when they become limiting, we can develop best practice.”

Scientific research will be part of that development but so will on-orchard research and crucial to it all will be continued communication between and involvement of growers, consultants and all stakeholders.

27

“The challenge ahead for us now is how we take advantage of these nutritional values and sell the story through branding and point of sale material to maximise sale opportunities.”

Excerpt from Freshmax newsletter.

“Very p le level of ased with the vie display wing of our the prim which was ary of atten purpose din confere g the nce.”

Confere nce exh ibitor.

28

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Strong industry: Challenge to industry to lift game Jen Scoular

New Zealand Avocado CEO Jen Scoular put it succinctly when she told delegates: “If avocado growers are making money, everyone in the value chain is making money.”

Key to that goal is the industry’s five year plan which aims to maximise value for all parties along the value chain and create a sustainable, profitable industry.

That has been enhanced by the successful bid, together with Plant & Food Research, for $4.5 million in funding from the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment into the New Zealand avocado industry.

Jen says identifying and learning from growers with high yielding, low irregular bearing orchards will help take the entire industry to higher yields and higher consistency.

Developing markets is another goal and the industry achieved the remarkable result of a 32 per cent increase in value in the New Zealand market in the 2012-13 season, earning a record $28.7 million.

The industry can also find

opportunities in the Asian markets where populations are getting older, food safety is a major priority and there is a continued increase in consumption of avocado.

“There is an increasing demand from wealthy Asians for healthy food from a safe origin,” says Jen. However, on the down side there is also a significant increase in the global supply of avocados, New Zealand is a small player and New Zealand production is unreliable.

Dr Russell Ballard, independent chairman of the Plant Market Access Council of New Zealand told the conference that producers need to get involved in the off-shore supply chain, get closer to their consumers and invest more in research and development.

New Zealand exports worth $23.3 billion when they leave this country sell for between $140 and $200 billion.

“That’s a six fold value which mostly goes to others and does not flow back to New Zealand producers. New Zealand must find the capital to get involved in the supply chain (off-shore).”

If doing so captured just 25 per cent extra in earnings that would equate to an additional return of around $60 billion, he says.

Achieving that growth in markets is possible and there are many freshly arising or under-exploited opportunities including those in emerging economies with rapidly growing middle classes, and interest in the role of food in health, says Russell. Exporters also need to do a better job of meeting consumer needs and in the area of processed foods.

The primary industry has been held back by a lack of knowledge of consumer needs, particularly in emerging markets, and fragmentation between sectors and government and along the value chain. Low levels of investment in research and development, lack of access to capital, low level of overseas direct investment and a need for more capacity are other factors, Russell says.

One of the biggest threats to the avocado industry’s strength could come from new pests and diseases and Lois Ransom, secretariat manager for the GIA told delegates signing up to the proposed Government Industry Agreement is part of managing the risk of being a primary industry business.

“Growers need to ask: is bio-security important to your business? Look at what happened to the kiwifruit industry with Psa. Could the same thing happen continued...

29

Strong industry: challenge to industry to lift game

to the avocado industry? It possibly could,” Lois says.

By signing up to the agreement, the avocado industry will be part of the decision-making process, should there be a bio-security risk to that sector. The industry will be involved early in the response phase and benefit from more effective response and more transparent transactions.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries is there to deliver good biosecurity but they could not and should not do it alone. There will be things government should do and things industry should be doing,” says Lois, whose role is an independent one working with industry and government to deliver GIA outcomes. The secretariat is directed by the Interim Government Body and is independent of any industry or government organisation.

“Growers need to look at what you have got now versus what you would have under the GIA deed. At the moment MPI decides the response and strategy and determines when to stop and start. The government pays but the industry is consulted.

The government may or may not undertake surveillance or maintain laboratory capability.

There are ad-hoc assessments of new risks. Growers may still be charged for the costs of an incursion.”

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc CEO Mike Chapman has seen first-hand, during the three years since the vine disease Psa-V was discovered, the severe an impact a new disease can have on growers. He told the conference he is concerned New Zealand remains vulnerable to other pest and disease incursions – and Australian fruit fly represents one of the biggest risks.

“A fruit fly incursion would stop many horticultural exports; and for kiwifruit it is estimated this would cost the Bay of Plenty (based on 2008 figures) the loss of more than 3400 jobs and $820 million in lost earnings.”

Mike says recent changes to regulations in Australia are of concern.

“The Riverina and Shepparton Irrigation Areas, where a lot of New Zealand fruit and vegetable imports 30

come from, will no longer be managed according to the Fruit Fly Control Code of Practice. In other words there will be no fruit fly controls in place and eradication actions taken.

“The removal of the movement restrictions on Queensland fruit fly host material across states, with the exception of the Greater Sunraysia pest-free area.

These changes came into effect on July 1, 2013.

“The result is the chance of a fruit

Continued

more than anywhere apart from Brazil. In China and India it is about 1.2 million cubic metres per person.

“We need work out how we maximise that advantage in terms of agriculture.

What we are doing in effect is taking water, putting it through a “converter” and exporting it in the form of proteins.

How we use water effectively will be very important in future.”

Ian says the world’s growing population offers opportunities and challenges for New Zealand producers.

Between now and 2050, Dr Russell Ballard 68 million people a year will move from the world’s rural areas to cities.

“That’s the equivalent of three Shanghai cities each year moving to urban living, creating a huge challenge for the food system.”

The world population is predicted to grow from 7 billion to 9 billion in the next 37 years and 1.5 billion of that growth will be in Africa, which is already struggling to feed its people.

However, there is also a growing middle class in the Asia Pacific region – people who don’t have to buy food to survive but like to buy food to enhance their lifestyle.

“I think from New Zealand’s perspective this creates potential fly incursion in New Zealand has just customers but doesn’t give us guaranteed dramatically increased and, when this is customers.” added to the level of biosecurity at our Global food retailers are key players in seaports, this is a real and present danger. the food sector, with the biggest operating “Kiwifruit Vine Health has asked for across 91 countries and accounting for an urgent review by the ministry of the around $1.3 trillion worth of sales.

Australian fruit fly risk. This is critical.

New Zealand’s role in the global agriAs an industry, we will continue to push food system will depend on a number of for better biosecurity where there are real factors. risks that require action,” says Mike.

“Scale is critical to being an effective One of the key strengths of the avocado niche operator. Avoid being all things to industry is something many take for all people and focus on the competitive granted – water.

Water is New Zealand’s most important advantages.”

Telling the story of how, where and natural asset and primary sectors need to who produced foods - in other words the maximise it says Ian Proudfoot, head of provenance story, must be substantive, he agribusiness and lead partner, consumer says. and industrial products with KPMG. The conference certainly reinforced that “There is a real water issue in the world. the New Zealand avocado industry has a In New Zealand we have 72 million cubic metres of fresh water per person, far great product, and a great story to tell. 

“It has renewed my enthusiasm for the fruit after a couple of years of concentrating on Psa in kiwifruit.”

New Zealand grower.

“Thanks a gain for in viting me to be ap a wonderfu art of such l Everywhe conference. re I’ve tra velled over last fe w d a y s the New Zeala nd avo gro wers are raving about the confe Zelda van rence!”

Rooyen, W estfalia.

31

Dr Mark Dreher

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Clinical research into avocado benefits yielding promising results

Avocado is a unique whole food which provides a range of essential nutrients, and clinical research supported by the Hass Avocado Board is looking at potential nutrition attributes of the fruit which go far beyond its appeal as a tasty food.

Dr Mark Dreher, who is president and chief science officer, Nutrition Science Solutions, and a nutrition research advisor to the Hass Avocado Board presented HAB’s clinical research programme and the preliminary findings to delegates of Nutritional Values.

“Avocado is a unique combination of nutrients and phytochemicals, has no cholesterol, very little sodium or sugar or trans fats and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per one ounce serving. It also provides mono-saturated fats and dietary fibre which are potentially limited in a healthy diet. It is a low glycaemic index fruit with 3 grams of total carbohydrate per one ounce serving,” said Mark.

“Avocados have one of the most diverse ranges of fat and water soluble antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, polyphenols and gluthione) 32

of any whole food.”

Seven trials conducted between 1960 and 1997 showed that eating avocados may help to promote healthy blood lipid profiles and glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, research shows that eating avocados with salads and salsas may help with nutrient absorption of carotenoids such as lycopene, carotene, or lutein by three to 15 times compared to eating salads and salsa without avocado or oil.

HAB is now conducting research on the potential role of avocados in cardiovascular health, weight management, healthy living and type 2 diabetes. These areas of study were based on the strength of existing science and potential appeal to consumers everywhere.

One of the first investigations funded was an analysis of the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Findings showed that avocado consumers had significantly higher intakes of several important nutrients compared to nonavocado consumers, and that overall, those who ate avocados, had a healthier diet.

Cardiovascular disease, says Mark, is the number one cause of death in the USA and in most developed countries.

The Hass Avocado Board commissioned a study to find out if eating one avocado a day had beneficial effects on risk factors for cardiovascular disease compared to a similar moderate fat diet without avocado,

and a low fat diet. This research is due for publication next year and preliminary findings are promising.

Another research project, also due to be published in 2014, set out to discover if eating half an avocado a day as part of an average American diet could improve blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

A study by Dr David Heber, MD, PhD, at UCLA investigated whether adding one-half of an avocado to a hamburger reduces elevation of MDA in the blood, a substance that may contribute to poor blood circulation and inflammation, compared to a burger without the avocado, in 11 healthy men. The results of this research were published in the journal Food and Function, in November 2012.

Those who ate the avocado with the patty showed significantly lower acute phase post-meal inflammatory biomarkers, related to cardiovascular health. There was no increase in triglyceride levels after the meal despite the added calories and fat from the burger.

Obesity, says Mark, is a growing global epidemic in both children and adults – 68 per cent of the US adult population is overweight or obese.

Researchers at Stanford University are investigating whether certain factors predict who will be more successful at losing weight on a low fat diet or a low carbohydrate diet that includes half an avocado per day for six months. This research is expected to be

published in 2014.

Another couple of unique research projects set out to discover if eating one Hass avocado a day would enhance healthy living and aging by helping improve vitamin A conversion and absorption status and cognitive function during aging. The first study was conducted by Dr Steven Schwartz and his team who studied the effects one avocado could have on improving the conversion of carotenes to active vitamin A and the bioavailability of other fat soluble vitamins and carotenoids when consumed with vegetables. It is anticipated that this research will be published late this year or in 2014.

The second study investigating the effects of eating approximately one Hass avocado every day on cognitive function and oxidative and inflammatory stress is underway at Tufts University. The hypothesis of the research was that the lutein and monounsaturated fat in avocado might help to protect the brain

to slow the loss of or promote enhanced cognitive function during aging.

Publication is anticipated in 2015.

Diabetes is a rapidly growing global health concern responsible for, in the US, five per cent of deaths among Hispanics and six per cent in the overall population.

In a study conducted at Loma Linda University, researchers investigated whether incorporating one-half of a Hass avocado per day to one’s diet controls hunger, blood sugar/insulin, and the amount of food eaten. This research was recently presented at the International Congress of Nutrition meeting in Spain, and is expected to be published late this year or in 2014.  Further information: • Nutrition Journal - Avocado Consumption is Associated with Better Diet Quality, Nutrient Intake and Lower Metabolic Syndrome Risk in US Adults: Results from the National Health

and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001- 2008 http://www. avocadocentral.com/avocado-nutritioncenter/nhanes-study • Food & Function: Hass Avocado Modulates Postprandial Vascular Reactivity and Postprandial Inflammatory Responses to a Hamburger Meal in Healthy Volunteers http://www.avocadocentral.com/ avocado-nutrition-center/ucla-study • Below is a link to a summary of each of HAB’s research studies (published or in progress) http://www.avocadocentral.com/assets/ pdf/Nutrition-Research-Program-Statusconsumer.pdf The organising committee for Nutritional Values thanks the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT) for making it possible to bring Dr Dreher to New Zealand to share this research with the New Zealand and Australian avocado industries.

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By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Producing improved avocado trees takes time New cultivars and root stocks may hold some of the answers to climatic and irregular bearing issues for avocado growers but they are anything but a quick fix.

Dr Zelda van Rooyen of Westfalia Technical Services, South Africa, says it takes between 20 and 25 years to bring new rootstocks and cultivars to commercial production and it will be eight years before Westfalia’s newest rootstock is ready for release.

Her advice to growers wanting to convert to a new rootstock or cultivar is to plant a minimum of 10 trees of each, have a control tree of the same age in the same orchard and evaluate the trees for six to eight years.

Such caution is required because, she says, conditions vary and not all rootstocks or cultivars perform equally well across all environments.

Currently Westfalia has 80 rootstocks awaiting field trials and more than 10 in five pre-commercial trials across South Africa.

The company also has new material from other countries in quarantine, ready to enter its research programme.

Westfalia is one of the world’s leading growers and suppliers of avocado and Westfalia Technological Services, for which Zelda works, is the largest privately funded sub-tropical research facility in the world.

It was the need to find superior rootstock which led the company into research.

“The first clonal rootstocks were imported into South Africa in the late 1970s after the avocado industry was almost crippled due to the presence of phytophthora cinnamomi root rot in the soils in the main production areas,” says Zelda.

Clonal rootstocks “The advantage of clonal rootstocks such as Duke 7 soon inspired researchers at Westfalia Fruit Estates to start their own screening and selection process and today Westfalia is one of the few institutions worldwide involved in long-term rootstock breeding, screening and evaluation.”

The attributes of South African rootstocks include their productivity, which equates to higher profitability, and their

resistance to phytophthora. Secondary attributes are the trees’ ability to tolerate salinity in the USA, water-logged conditions as in Chile, productivity under re-plant situations and cold tolerance for New Zealand. Other attributes researchers look for in rootstocks include fruit size, yield and consistency, tree health, post-harvest quality of fruit, mineral uptake by the tree and graft union compatibility.

These attributes are tested in field conditions around the world through collaboration with other researchers.

“Similarly, international agreements allow Westfalia to test new fruiting scions which help South Africa to extend its export and production season. Increasingly there is a need for a Hass-like cultivar for year-round global supply.”

Currently Dusa is the best performing rootstock.

“It out-yields other clonal rootstocks by at least 20 per cent and is sold around the world.”

Cultivars Westfalia has the worldwide rights to produce and market two new cultivars, Gem from the University of California breeding programme and Carmen from Mexico.

Cultivars also undergo stringent testing and evaluation.

“We measure the performance of cultivars in different geographical regions, looking for seasons of maturity, yield, fruit size and distribution, post-harvest fruit quality and have independent organoleptic testing (taste testing) carried out in the UK.” However, Zelda says it’s not just humans who enjoy Westfalia avocado. Snakes hippos and other wild creatures also “invade” the orchard to sample fruit from time to time.

Carmen Hass matures four weeks earlier than Hass, has out-ofseason flowers and crop with longer multiple flowering and so decreased risk from frost damage. The fruit is similar to Hass in yield, fruit size and post-harvest quality. The trees have a round, compact dense canopy as opposed to the spreading open canopy of Hass.

Gem is an attractive fruit which colours black when ripe and has prominent yellow lenticels and smooth, slightly pebbly skin. Its fruit can hang on the tree four weeks later than Hass. The trees have an up-right growth habit with low vigour so can be planted closer together.  35

By Elaine Fisher

Avocados’ folate claim set to change Avocado is one of the few primary foods able to make claims for levels of folate which may be beneficial during pregnancy, says Lisa Yates consultant dietician for the Australian Avocado Industry.

The claim that can be made for the fruit is wordy, but worthy, she says.

“Women of child bearing age need to consume at least 400 micrograms of folate per day at least the month before and three months after conception. A diet rich in folate including avocado may reduce the risk of foetal neural tube defects. Half an avocado contains 59 micrograms of folate, 15 per cent of the required amount,” says the claim approved by Food Safety Australia and New Zealand Food standards code.

However, research among Australian doctors found that 64 per cent didn’t think avocado was an important source of folate and 29 per cent didn’t know the fruit contained folate.

Questions asked at a dieticians’ conference in May 2013 showed they know green leafy vegetables are a source of folate, but few knew avocados are as well.

“In fact, avocado is the other green vegetable that contains folate, but tastes better. Avocado is important for mums and bubs and avocado is a great first food for babies since low fat diets are not suitable for under-twos.”

However, Lisa says in January 2013 FSANZ gazetted a new standard for high level health claims for neural tube defects, changing the word folate to folic acid.

“Avocados will no longer be able to make the claim after January 2016 so we need to raise the awareness of folate in avocado now.

After January 2016 we can use the general level health claim around the importance of folate during pregnancy.”

To help raise awareness of the health benefits of avocado, Australian Avocados has organised a number of events and trade exhibits aimed at fitness professionals, doctors and dieticians, who have the ability to influence the diets of their clients. A survey before and after the events showed those professionals had a better understanding of the benefits of avocados, including that they can be part of a weight loss diet.

The “Daily Spread” blog on the Australian Avocado website covers a range of weekly topics, and more scientific-based blogs for health professionals are also posted. A review of toddler snacks available in supermarkets with nutritional analysis and showing why avocado is the better snack received wide attention from a group Lisa calls “mummy” bloggers, women who have regular blogs online which attract a strong following.  36

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Water availability, quality major issue for Californian growers Roughly the equivalent of the Bay of Plenty’s annual rainfall is used to irrigate each hectare of California avocado orchards, at a cost of up to $1.03 per cubic metre, Dr Jonathan Dixon, former research programme director for the Californian Avocado Commission says.

effective grower education, increased average per acre production, achieving and sustaining industry critical mass and maintain a premium quality product,” says Jonathan.

Of the research budget, 36 per cent goes on pests and disease, 35 per cent on plant breeding, 18 per cent on productivity and 11 per cent on quality.

“And it’s not good water. Salinity and chlorides in water is high, with many leaves testing over 0.25 per cent chloride.

As a rule of thumb, leaf chloride is about reduced yield and levels of 0.61 per cent chloride, will equal a yield drop of 61 per cent.”

Water costs and salinity are the biggest issues for California growers, who use on average 10,970 to 12,800 cubic meters of water per hectare.

California has a formula called acre-feet to calculate water use which equates to 1,233.5 cubic metres and at 3.6 to 4.2 acre feet per year, per acre, that costs between $3,600 and $5,040.

Poor water quality is just one issue facing the industry in which most orchards are small family farms.

The commission, which works on the growers’ behalf, has a research budget of $1 million to $1.4 million annually from a total budget of $14 million to $17 million.

“Strong direction is needed to make the most of the research spend and the strategic approach set by the commission board has as its imperatives, grower driven research on management systems,

The California Avocado industry:

Pests Since 2001, thanks to research, the costs of pest control have decreased by $169 per hectare. However, new pests and diseases are being identified

20-23,000 hectares 4,500 - 5,000 growers 21 - 45 million trays On the week of July 14, 2013 $US 17 - $US 18 per tray 24 count fruit 1.6 million trays weekly supplied from California 2.8 million trays weekly supply in the USA Total market 100 million trays CAC levy about 1.7 per cent of sale price including the polyphagous shot hole borers, which are a very small ambrosia beetle, wide spread in avocado orchards in Israel and common in the LA county.

“It attacks a wide range of trees, including New Zealand and Australian natives. We don’t know how bad it will be on avocados yet, but have a very active research programme to find out.”

Sustainable mite and thrips control is another aspect of research. The first signs of resistance to the product Abaectin, used in California for 14 years, are showing up in persea mites and avocado thrips.

“A very successful research programme has registered 17 new chemicals, most with different chemistry, in the past 10 years. The commission is funding a five year project to investigate the mechanism of resistance and to get growers to rotate chemicals use to prevent resistance.”

Research into consistent production is also underway and Jonathan says a number of ideas are being investigated.

These include that the amount of fruit set in one year depends on how many shoots did not bear fruit in the previous year; whether or not the length of time fruit is held on the tree causes greater reduction in flowering in spring, and if flowers that are on the tree in the off-flowering year, don’t break and develop: if mitigating alternate bearing may require fruit thinning and the use of plant growth regulators.

Research is of no real value if growers don’t have the opportunity to use the information, Jonathan says.

To ensure they do, the commission has integrated outreach activity with research. It is taking a larger role itself by leasing 11 acres of demonstration orchard and started an industry magazine (based on those of the New Zealand and Australian industries) and created small grower discussion groups.

A new website has been launched and research projects are aimed at delivering web tools which will predict yield, alternate bearing, effects of salinity and the economics of growing avocados.

“These models will be validated by as much independent data as possible.”  37

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2013 NZAGA & AIC AGM: Delivering on the Five Year Plan The industry’s performance against its objectives was highlighted at the 2013 NZAGA and AIC Annual General Meeting held at the ASB Arena in Tauranga on September 10.

“We do test that we are adding value,” said NZ Avocado CEO Jen Scoular.

“We do look at the activities, the objectives and then the achievements and measure those against the costs of that activity. Over the past year I believe our achievements are very positive.”

The slide below shows a summary of the high level objectives and the positive activity that occurred in the last financial year towards the achievement of these.

Summary of Voting Results BOARD MOTIONS MOTION 1: That the levy rate for avocado fruit sold into the export market be set at 35c per 5.5 kg trays for the period 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2015.

Achievements

MOTION 2: That the Levy rate for avocado fruit sold into the domestic market be set at 3% for the period 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2015.

Moved: A Whitehead Seconded: T Ponder Results for Motion 2: passed FOR by a show of hands

“We have developed, with collaboration from Plant & Food Research, an R&D programme for the coming five years. Plant & Food Research was successful in a bid to the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment for an investment of $4.5 million into R&D in avocados, being $4 million from the government and a $100,000 commitment annually from NZAGA for the five years of the programme.”

Of exceptional note was the performance of the local market with a record value of $28.7m, an impressive 32% higher than ever before.

“This has come from a real focus on the New Zealand market, a specific project seeking to identify and address issues and strong cross-industry collaboration, with regular meetings of local marketers, forecasting of volumes and sharing of information and ways we can collectively drive up value in this market.

“Consumption on New Zealand has increased, driven by the strong public relations campaign we have implemented. We continue to believe public relations is the most effective way to drive visibility, sales and consumption and the results in 201213 suggest it is working. Nadia Lim, our avocado ambassador, has made a big impact across print media and her presence now on TV continues to support avocados very strongly.”

Relationships are also an important factor to the successes achieved “We achieved access for New Zealand avocados to India, with strong support from The Ministry for Primary Industries who we continue to work closely with for access to China.

“We have renewed our commodity levy for six years and I believe relationships across the industry are stronger and more able to achieve the sustainable, profitable industry we all seek.”

Commodity Levy Commodity Levy – Promotions TOTAL

15c 20c 35c

Moved: A Whitehead Seconded: T Ponder Results for Motion 1: passed FOR by a show of hands

MOTION 3: That growers support the consultation and approval process for NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. to partner with the government under the Government Industry Agreement and Operational Agreements.

The consultation process will include: • That final documents for industry signature are shared with growers via the NZ Avocado website • That Growers are informed that the documents are available at least one month prior to consultation roadshows • That the Chair and CEO host GIA roadshows to consult with growers and answer questions from growers • Following the roadshows a postal ballot would be conducted seeking grower support to enter into the GIA and Operational Agreements.

Moved: A Whitehead Seconded: J Schnackenberg Results for Motion 3: passed FOR by a show of hands MEMBER REMITS REMIT 1: That the budget for local market avocado promotion be increased, the extra money to be used for promoting demand for the fruit when stocks build up in the supply chain.

Moved: Murray Pease Seconded: Bryan Cheshire This remit went to ballot.

Results for Remit 1: 216 votes FOR 961 votes AGAINST REMIT 2: That in order for the “Letters to the Editor” section in Avoscene magazine to be a viable forum for honest and robust debate amongst growers, the AGA adopt an editorial policy consistent with the NZ Press Council standards.

Moved: Murray Pease Seconded: Bryan Cheshire Results for Remit 2: passed FOR by a show of hands Signed: Returning Officer: 39

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2013 Avocado Awards Avocado awards were announced at the NZAGA and AIC AGM in September for the following deserving recipients. The awards are given annually and decided upon based on nominations from the industry and consideration by the NZAGA Awards Committee.

We recognise and congratulate Leonie Batt and Henry Pak for their contributions to the industry.

Leonie Batt - Whangarei After the passing of her husband in 1974, Leonie was determined to keep farming, so she decided to take a risk by diversifying into avocados in the early 1980s. This was to boost the profitability of the farm so she was not reliant on off-farm income.

The avocado orchard has gradually been developed to where it now covers more than 5ha within a 70ha farm. Leonie also finishes beef cattle, running the farm with the help of two part-timers – one aged 76 and the other 86. They call themselves ‘the three oldies’. They believe it beats going to the gym plus earns them all an income.

Leonie’s daughter and son-in-law also help when needed.

Leonie’s passion for avocados led to her being elected in 1999 to the NZAGA Executive as a Whangarei representative and she remained on the executive until mid 2003.

An exceptionally strong supporter and advocate of the industry, Leonie has always

been keen to better her understanding and knowledge of growing avocados.

She has always attended every field day, every avocado conference and every world congress. Keeping an open mind, she reads a lot of avocado research and uses it to make important decisions for her orchard and has been very successful.

Leonie is an astute grower and her orchard has very regular production.

Leonie has been happy to share her knowledge by hosting many a field day on her orchard.

While Leonie’s property is largely flat, it also features a ravine that runs down to the Ngunguru River. This area is home to some very old trees and has been fenced off for their protection. Leonie has also fenced other waterways and has been ringfencing areas of native bush since 1975.

Winning the Harvest Award in the 2007 Ballance Farm Environment Awards provided welcome recognition for her avocado work, and also for her passion for native bush.

The NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. recognises and acknowledges Leonie Batt’s stalwart and enthusiastic support of the New Zealand avocado industry and honours her as a recipient of the New Zealand Avocado Award.

Henry Pak - Tauranga After experiencing two years of issues in the USA market, Henry was employed in April 2000 by the Avocado Industry Council to identify the quality issues and implement a defined, robust and auditable compliance system.

In 2006-07 the industry was challenged with Avocado Scab. Henry’s historic knowledge that the cultures had been preserved proved invaluable. They were retrieved and tested for minimal cost and demonstrated not to be Avocado Scab.

Henry’s strategic handling of the situation, his key relationships with Plant & Food Research scientists and their professional respect for Henry’s knowledge effected this result.

In 1999 Avocado Sunblotch Viroid was found in New Zealand and the project to deal with it was worked on from 2001 to 2009. It had the potential to hurt the industry; access to the Australian market was under threat. Henry worked with MAF Biosecurity (now MPI), keeping the focus on the technical issues and the desired outcomes for the avocado industry by a reasoned and pragmatic stepped approach. The situation went from a proposed $64m cost to less than $1m actual cost to the industry with Avocado Sunblotch Viroid removed from the pest list, along with the implied market restrictions.

In 2009 the industry was also challenged in the USA by Light Brown Apple Moth.

Henry was able to demonstrate to the USDA that AIC could be trusted to integrate complex phytosanitary issues within its quality system.

Henry worked hard to secure research grants from government and other agencies to forward fruit quality, pathology and entomology before they could become barriers to development of the industry.

Sometimes hard decisions were made for the good of the industry as a whole and Henry was unswayable from industry private interest. He handled the resulting criticism well and was equal in his management ethics with all parties.

Henry is a unique individual in that he is not just a scientist but has an excellent understanding of developing and implementing research within a strategic framework.

The NZ Avocado Growers’ Association recognises and acknowledges Henry Pak’s dedication and passion for the New Zealand avocado industry and honours him as a recipient of the New Zealand Avocado Award.  41

Industry

42

News 2013 elections for grower representatives The 2013 elections for grower representatives to the NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. Executive Committee and the Board of the Avocado Industry Council Limited have now concluded.

Following the call for nominations in the Far North and Mid North regions and the subsequent nomination of only one nominee for each area, the following were appointed to the AGA Executive and AIC Board directly: • Ian Fulton for Far North • Sue Culham for Mid North For the At Large region, two nominations were received which resulted in an election.

The results of the election are: Votes

Roger Barber

Quinton Lankshear

Ordinary

183

129

Levy

1332

893

Total

1515

1022

Rank

1

2

A full list of AGA Executive members for 2013-14 and their profiles can be found on the industry website under: ABOUT > BOARD > BOARD MEMBERS Avocado thefts reported We have received numerous reports of recent avocado theft from orchards in the Bay of Plenty, in particular around Te Puke and east of Te Puke.

Growers in all regions are reminded to be extra vigilant as the frequency of these thefts has increased as the season progresses.

We are in contact with local police and have alerted local marketers and distributors to help ensure that any suspicious or unusual activity is reported.

New Zealand Police recommend the following: • Be extra vigilant and take steps to prevent theft, including increasing security around your orchard.

• If you witness any suspicious behaviour, contact your neighbouring orchards to ensure others are also keeping a look out.

If a theft takes place the New Zealand Police encourage reporting in all instances.

• If witnessed at the time of theft, call the Police emergency line, 111, immediately.

Try to take as many details as you can of

the thieves including their appearance and any vehicles and vehicle registration numbers etc.

• If you discover fruit has been stolen but you did not witness the theft, contact your local police station.

• If you have had fruit stolen recently but have not yet reported it, contact your local police station and they will direct you to the Crime Reporting Line.

If you are approached by anyone trying to sell car boot loads of avocados, take a description of the person and their vehicle registration and report the activity to your local police station.

Export registration reminder Please ensure you register for export at least three working days before your intended pick date to ensure your registration is verified and processed in time.

To become registered for export you must: • Be AvoGreen compliant from 1 November 2012 • Complete the online registration form • Pay in full • Have any changes you have made to your details verified by NZ Avocado staff To register for export phone Sheryl, 0800 286 2236, or register online at: http:// industry.nzavocado.co.nz/industry/export_ registration.csn Avogreen® Compliance AvoGreen is a responsible and auditable avocado production system which uses IPM principles to ensure pesticides are only used when necessary. AvoGreen is an export requirement as it means our exporters can give formal assurance to their increasingly discerning offshore customers that avocados from New Zealand have been grown in a responsible way.

All growers intending to export avocados from New Zealand must be AvoGreen compliant by 1 November in the season preceding intended harvest. For example, if you wish to export fruit for the 2013-14 season you will need to have been AvoGreen compliant from 1 November 2012.

We are working with growers to strengthen our compliance in this area and in the light of recent experiences in the dairy industry we believe that AvoGreen is an important thread in the Quality Management and IPM systems of our industry.

Spray use We ask growers to make themselves familiar with the list of chemicals that are approved for use on avocados and to always follow the recommendations on the label.

Grower letters in Avoscene If you wish express a view or ask a question that you would like other growers to read in Avoscene then please contact us.

Please be aware that we may not be able to print every letter due to space constraints.

Letters must be 300 words or less. Letters exceeding this limit may be abridged or may be refused.

Letters must be in good taste and focus on issues of general concern, not personalities.

Letters must contain a name, address and daytime phone number of the author.

Unsigned letters or those submitted without a phone number will not be considered.

Regular contributors should submit letters on varied subjects. Letters by the same author that reiterate opinions previously expressed will not be published.

NZ Avocado reserves the right to edit or not publish material which may offend readers.

Press Council Principles footnote on letters to the editor: Selection and treatment of letters for publication are the prerogative of editors who are to be guided by fairness, balance, and public interest in the correspondents’ views. Abridgement is acceptable but should not distort meaning.

Forward your letter to avoscene@ nzavocado.co.nz or fax to 07 571 6145 or you can post to NZ Avocado, PO BOX 13267, Tauranga 3141.

Glenys Parton acting Technical Manager Glenys Parton has been appointed acting Technical Manager following the resignation of Henry Pak. Glenys has been with the industry for two years. She comes from a strong R&D and systems background with her experience at Ruakura in dairy and agriculture. Glenys is well suited to covering this role which includes managing the following processes: • Dispensations • Quality • Residues • GIA 43

Industry news

Successful M boost to avo

44

MBIE bid gives $4m research ocado industry The avocado industry will benefit hugely from a $4m of Government investment into research. This exciting development comes after a successful bid was made

by Plant & Food Research, in collaboration with NZ Avocado, to the Ministry of Business innovation and Employment’s 2013 Science Investment Round.

The announcement from Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce will see investment over the next five years into the Plant & Food Research project Avocados for export which aims to double New Zealand’s average avocado yield, overcome irregular fruit bearing and introduce new storage and shipping systems to export increased volumes of fruit.

“This is very exciting news for the avocado industry and will contribute significantly to delivery of our five year plan which aims to develop value returning markets through delivering a consistent supply of high quality fruit,” says Jen Scoular, CEO of New Zealand Avocado.

The project will investigate causes of the industry’s biggest challenge; irregular bearing, and the role dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage can play in extending the supply window.

“New Zealand Avocado has developed a five year plan and as part of this we identified the need to seek partners and work collaboratively to deliver the outcomes.

The MBIE bid process has been a team effort between New Zealand Avocado and Plant and Food Research. I thank all parties for the efforts that have resulted in this excellent outcome,” says Jen. Dr Derek Wilson, general manager of science - sustainable production for Plant & Food Research shares the avocado industry’s aim to work collaboratively.

“We are very pleased to have partnered with the New Zealand avocado industry to get a new science programme up and

running to address irregular bearing and storage issues. We have entered a new environment in R&D where partnerships between Plant & Food Research, Government and industry see us work hand in hand with industry, with real focus on delivery of outcomes to meet the needs of that industry,” says Derek.

MBIE’s Science, Skills and Innovation Group’s deputy chief executive Paul Stocks was impressed by the high calibre of the successful proposals and the diverse range of topics they covered.

“The research programmes outlined in the proposals are really exciting and they cover such a wide range of topics – from protecting our native forests from devastating plant diseases to assessing how downsizing in housing impacts on the independence of older adults.”

Paul says all of the proposals went through a robust assessment process, which included review by independent experts. The successful proposals were selected by MBIE’s Science Board based on their scientific merit and potential benefit to New Zealanders.

“The Avocados for export bid is a great R&D programme but its success lies also in the very strong value proposition outlined for the New Zealand avocado industry,” says Derek.

“In addition to MBIE’s funding of $800k per annum, or $4m over five years, New Zealand Avocado will contribute $100k of grower funds per annum. This means over the five years $4.5m will be spent on new research for the avocado industry,” says Jen. New Zealand Avocado is also supporting another successful bid from Plant & Food Research, a cross-sector project seeking optimisation of pollination; From bee minus to bee plus and beyond.

Public Statement on MBIE Bid: Avocado is an emerging export fruit sector for New Zealand. It is has a strong industry organisation with a clear vision to triple sales by 2020. The proposition is to transform the industry, which is currently reliant on a single export market, to a globally competitive, high value,

“The Avocados for export bid is a great R&D programme but its success lies also in the very strong value proposition outlined for the New Zealand avocado industry,” sustainable export industry.

Critical factors identified by industry as needed to achieve this vision include providing growers with the tools to ensure they produce consistently high yields of fruit and providing exporters with new storage and shipping technologies to export these fruit to near and distant markets. Irregular bearing is a feature of all avocado industries and is a key contributor to overall low orchard productivity.

The research will investigate causes of irregular bearing by examining the roles of temperature and light on yield and testing the hypothesis that crop load determines the rate of return bloom. A paradigm shift in orchard management will be proposed to move the industry away from large trees over 12 m tall of a single cultivar to more efficient small-tree orchard systems based on new cultivars with trees less than 3.0 m tall. An efficient export supply chain supplying high quality fruit is an integral part of achieving sustained industry growth.

To manage the increased volumes of fruit predicted from industry, research will investigate parameters needed to move the industry from the current ‘pick and ship’ supply chain to a ‘pick, hold and ship’ system using dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage.

The target outcome is for fruit to be supplied “out of inventory” to export markets over an extended supply window, with new shipping conditions to ensure the fruit reach these new markets in prime condition.

Successful implementation of the research will create significant new employment opportunities, especially in areas with high unemployment such as Northland, Gisborne and Bay of Plenty.  45

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Industry news

New research shows you can enhance your life by eating avocado every day Health conscious Kiwis and foodies alike now have even more reason to celebrate the arrival of the New Zealand avocado season - latest research proves they can make a vast improvement to overall health and wellbeing.

As well as being a delicious addition to many meals, avocados are one of the most nutritionally complete foods in the world and new international research published in the Nutrition Journal* shows that people who regularly eat them weigh 3.4 kilograms less on average and have waistlines around four centimetres smaller, than those who don’t.

Avocado consumers also have significantly lower BMIs than non-consumers; significantly higher intakes of important nutrients (such as fibre, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium and vitamin K), plus more good fats and a lower intake of added sugars.

The findings of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States, published in the Nutrition Journal, proved eating avocado every day boosted people’s HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels and resulted in a 50 per cent less chance of metabolic syndrome (a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type-2 diabetes).

Qualified dietician and nutritionist Nadia Lim is the official New Zealand Avocado ambassador and was a guest presenter at the recent New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’

Conference, held in Tauranga. Nadia says avocados are a perfect health conscious option for healthy, vibrant people who desire nutritious food that contributes positively to their overall health.

“Avocados are a perfect food – they’re abundant in valuable vitamins and minerals, as well as healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates. Nutritionists have long recommended consuming the healthy fats from avocados which are known to support improved overall diet quality, nutrient intake and heart health,” says Nadia.

New Zealand Avocado CEO Jen Scoular says avocados are incredibly nutritious and nourishing for the body and soul.

“If you like to get the most out of life then you should definitely include an avocado in your diet every day.

“As part of a healthy, balanced diet, avocados are proving themselves time and again as a food that can help us all live healthier lives. This new research reinforces the importance of the food’s role in our everyday diet,” says Jen. The American-based Hass Avocado Board (HAB) is continuing to invest millions of dollars in nutrition research on Hass Avocado – a fund which the New Zealand avocado industry has long contributed to – and has engaged top researchers and institutions to further investigate the fruit’s health potential.

HAB established a nutrition research programme in 2010 to increase awareness and improve understanding of the unique benefits of avocados to human health and nutrition. The four research pillars are heart health, weight management, diabetes and healthy living.  *To read the overview from Nutrition Journal: http://www. avocadocentral.com/avocado-nutrition-center/nhanes-study

Make sure you book your advertising space for the next issue of Avoscene due out in December.

Contact Rose Hodges on 07 928 3043 or rose@thesun.co.nz.

Booking deadline is November 22nd, 2013.

47

Avocado news Rains delay Mexican avocados 25.09.2013: Heavy rains in Mexico have delayed avocado shipments, but October should bring big increases in volume.

Heavy mid-September rains were delaying shipments from Mexico’s Michoacan growing area, strengthening markets, given scant supplies from other growing regions, said Bob Lucy, partner in Fallbrook, Calif.based Del Rey Avocado Inc. “The past two weeks it’s been real tight, particularly last week,” he said Sept. 23.

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported prices of $44.2545.25 for two-layer cartons of hass 48s from California, up from $26.25-27.25 last year at the same time.

But the rains, while delaying shipments,

are not expected to significantly affect volumes or quality, Lucy said. And once pickers can get into groves, the deal should ramp up quickly, he said.

The storms in Mexico knocked out bridges and other infrastructure, but Lucy hasn’t heard of any major infrastructure damage that would affect avocado exports.

Mexican volumes should start to ramp up significantly the week of Sept. 30, said Rob Wedin, vice president of sales and marketing with Santa Paula, Calif.-based Calavo Growers Inc. In the short term, there will likely be some scarring on fruit from Mexico, Wedin said. But in the long term, all that extra moisture should mean good quality and big sizes.

And the rains should help both Californian and Mexican growers enjoy strong markets, he said.

“In some ways, the timing is great. They don’t have to compete with each other too much.”

Growers on California’s northern coast who were still shipping in late September will appreciate that, after sluggish markets in several recent years, Wedin said.

“It’s an opportunity for them to make some profits and keep those groves going.”

Markets, which were “abnormally high” in the second half of September, will eventually weaken, but it will take awhile, particularly since it could be the week of Oct. 7 before Mexico begins to return to normal, said Ken Vida, salesman for

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from the world Fullerton, Calif.-based Interfresh Inc. “California’s the only option right now,” Vida said Sept. 24. “Historically, it should be Mexico, but it’s not happening.”

Even when Mexican volumes do ramp up, the market could stay strong.

“There’s a great market opportunity now if they control their production,” Vida said.

The 2013 California season was rapidly winding down in late September for Del Rey, Lucy said.

Source: http://www.thepacker.com/ fruit-vegetable-news/Rains-delay-Mexicanavocados-225230832.html Scientists seek to improve the Mexican avocado 24.09.2013: The Mexican avocado production represents more than 30 percent of the global harvest according to data from the Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa).

There are five major producing states: Michoacan, which contributes with 86 percent of the total national production, followed by the States of Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit and Puebla. The countries that buy Mexican avocados the most are France, Canada, Japan and the USA. However, as with many crops, avocado is facing the drought and erosion of large amounts of forests due to the increase in its demand.

Large-scale cultivation of avocados in Mexico began in the late 70s. The problem is that, as acreage increases, so does water consumption for the crops and logically, there is a loss of natural forests.

According to Dr. Claudia Anahi Perez, who heads the technology platform for the genetic improvement of avocado, this project aims to develop varieties which have a bigger resistant to a lack of water, have more fatty acids and come from smaller trees so as to facilitate obtaining the fruit since the avocado tree can be

up to 20 or 30 feet high, which makes harvesting difficult for producers.

In an interview with Notimex, the researcher of the National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), explained that the project aims to generate more efficient plants in water use, given that there is less water due to climate change, and avocados requires rainfall regimes of 1000-2000 millimetres to grow.

“We seek to generate species that use less water without affecting their productivity and whose fruits contain a higher content of fatty acids because they are what give them that quality in taste and help us market them to obtain fatty acids, cosmetics and industrial uses,” he said.

Source: http://www.freshplaza.com/ article/113409/Scientists-seek-to-improvethe-Mexican-avocado#SlideFrame_1 Avozilla: world’s largest avocado goes on sale 30.08.2013: South African fruit five times bigger than average avocado will be sold for £3 at Tesco.

It is a dilemma that has frustrated middle-class families for years: how many avocados are needed to make the perfect batch of guacamole to feed a hungry brood?

But Tesco has come to the rescue and will start to sell what it claims is the world’s largest avocado, nicknamed the Avozilla.

Weighing an impressive 1.3kg, the South-African-grown fruit, a vivid green colour, is five times bigger than an average avocado. Tesco described the fruit as extremely rare and said it came from just four trees grown by one of the world’s biggest suppliers of avocados. They will be priced at £3 each.

Sales of avocados across Europe have grown in recent years with 240,000 tonnes shipped to the region last year, an increase of 9% on 2011.

Derek Donkin, chief executive of the South African Avocado Growers Association, said: “Commercial demand is growing rapidly in Europe and despite the

downturn, supply has increased.

“They are highly nutritious and high in monounsaturated fats which are the good fats which reduce cholesterol. They are high in potassium, higher than bananas, and it’s not just a salad item – you can make anything from avocado cheesecakes to ice creams.” The avocado was first cultivated by the Aztecs, but is now grown in several subtropical countries with the UK supplied mainly from Peru, Israel, South Africa, Chile and Spain.

Lucy Harwood, brand manager for the Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas, said guacamole was its best-selling starter.

She added: “Our sales of our Holy Guacamole have been growing and growing, and we now sell more than 300,000 portions each year.

“Mexican food, which has rocketed over the past few years, has been fuelled by an appreciation of the freshness and quality of the cuisine when done properly – guacamole being a perfect example of great ingredients coming together to give wonderful flavours.”

Tesco’s decision to sell the Avozilla is not the first time the UK’s biggest supermarket has stocked giant fruit.

Last Christmas giant brussels sprouts the size of snooker balls were sold, while giant melons, pineapples and pomegranates have all adorned the shelves. In 2004 Tesco introduced giant strawberries called Scarlett Johanssons.

Tesco’s salad buyer Emma Bonny said: “We believe the Avozilla will appeal to shoppers who are looking for value for money, but especially large families.

“The Avozilla has a fantastic taste with a rich, juicy, buttery texture, and creamy flavour.

“The ripe fruit is an attractive vivid green colour – different from the darker coloured, smaller variety – and its thick skin can actually be used as a serving bowl for guacamole.”

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/ lifeandstyle/2013/aug/30/avozilla-worldlargest-avocado-sale 49

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ith avocado lovers New Zealand Avocado has a strategic objective to maximise value for the New Zealand industry. We aim to achieve this through undertaking activities that will optimise the position of New Zealand avocados in our markets.

Investment in raising the profile of avocados and educating consumers on their uses and benefits is essential to increasing value in the industry.

Connecting with existing and potential avocado lovers underpins our promotional activity. These groups of consumers stay loyal to avocado through price increases, there is greater likelihood of increasing their consumption and they are ambassadors for the product.

This season New Zealand growers will export an estimated 2.6m trays offshore and market a further 1.6m here in New Zealand.

Australia In previous years, we have collaborated with Horticulture Australia and Avocados Australia to continue the implementation of their marketing material and messaging strategy, this season our exporters are investing $400,000 in produce manager training, consumer promotions and quality assessment and assurance.

Singapore and South Korea Singapore and Korea are emerging markets. We are currently conducting consumer research in both these countries to define our target audience, how best to reach them and with what messages.

We are also using social media to connect with Koreans and have held focus groups with Koreans living in New Zealand to understand

more about their perceptions of avocado.

Japan This coming season we are forecast to send 7% of the export crop to Japan.

We will strengthen our social networking activity in Japan, have further interaction with media and influencers and start honing in on what appeals to our target audience.

Research has shown that potential avocado lovers in Japan are attracted to them because of their perceived antiaging and health benefits and specifically for New Zealand avocados, their assurance of food safety.

We want to ensure that a strong connection is made between these benefits and avocados from New Zealand.

Asia-wide An exciting development for our promotions in Asia is our involvement with the New Zealand produced TV programme “New Zealand with Nadia” which will be presented by our NZ Avocado Ambassador Nadia Lim. This show will air on the Asian Food Channel in a prime time slot across Asia and the series will be repeated up to six times over two years from 2014.

The series will follow Nadia as she road trips through New Zealand discovering, sampling and cooking with products iconic to the region she is visiting.

The Bay of Plenty episode will feature avocados, and other avocado products.

Nadia will visit two Bay of Plenty orchards, meet the growers and get across key messages about handling, use, nutrition and our safe growing systems.

Filming for this series will begin later this year.

New Zealand Over the last two seasons we have run an extensive public relations campaign feeding media and influencers a steady diet of avocado information. We are using a public relations strategy because it is good bang for buck.

The campaign last year provided growers with 30 times more media coverage than the equivalent spend on an advertising campaign would have provided.

By Midge Munro NZ Avocado Communications Manager mmunro@nzavocado.co.nz

Nationwide coverage on TV, radio, print, online and at events ensured that the grower investment was maximised.

Last season showed us that a record value for the New Zealand market can be achieved using this approach In terms of consumer behaviour in New Zealand, avocado lovers account for 31.5% of avocado buyers and they contribute 70% of the category value.

These loyal avocado lovers are our target audience; they are the high income, older singles and couples. We need to focus on increasing the purchase frequency and quantity of this group to drive further growth.

Our messaging is evolving from choosing and using to health benefits and enhancing lifestyle. The theme for this season’s promotion is “Enhance your life everyday with avocado.”

The promotions budget and plan was developed based on outcomes from previous years’ promotions and consultation with the New Zealand market forum.

We will continue to raise the visibility of avocados and educate New Zealand consumers on their uses and health benefits through connecting with influential New Zealanders and increasing our social networks and utilising key partnerships.

Cook and dietician Nadia Lim is again on board with the industry as the NZ Avocado Ambassador, adding credibility and flair to our public relations efforts.

Activity progress: • Key messages for season created.

• Season media launch kits sent to 30 popular women’s and foodie magazines plus influential personalities.

• Season media launch information and key messages sent to all New Zealand marketers.

• Re-engaging with Facebook fans through competitions to give away Nadia Lim’s cookbook and avocados.

Our strong relationship with key endorsers has provided exciting opportunities for the industry. We have recently committed funding to be the premium food sponsor of a high profile cooking show that we anticipate will air in New Zealand in 2014.  51

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Directors Bay of Plenty Ashby Whitehead NZAGA & AIC Chair Ph 07 573 6680 m. 027 283 2192 alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz Far North Ian Fulton Ph 09 406 8808 ian.fulton@clear.net.nz Mid North Sue Culham m. 021 771 686 sculham@xtra.co.nz At Large Roger Barber Ph 09 435 0785 m. 021 488 124 barbers@ihug.co.nz John Cotterell Ph 07 549 3395 m. 0274 513 138 jccotterell@actrix.gen.nz John Schnackenberg Ph 07 549 0717 m. 021 731 437 jschnack@ihug.co.nz Tony Ponder NZAGA Vice Chair Ph 07 552 4223 m. 0274 733 712 tony@flaxmillavocado.co.nz Rest of NZ David French Ph 09 238 3359 m. 0274 375 315 famille@ps.gen.nz Export Directors Alistair Young, Andrew Darling

Avoscene Advertising & Editorial Avoscene is published by New Zealand Avocado For editorial contact: Natasha Mitchell Sun Media Ltd No.1 The Strand, Tauranga Ph: 07 578 0030 Fax: 07 571 1116 email natasha@thesun.co.nz For advertising contact: Rose Hodges at Sun Media Ltd email rose@thesun.co.nz Design and production: Kym Johnson, Sun Media Ltd email kym@thesun.co.nz

Contents Regular Columns Chair’s comment CEO’s comment Exporters’ comment Packers’ comment New Zealand market comment Organic growers’comment Regional Roundups New Zealand Avocado highlights Features Conference adds value for all Marketing nutrition Healthy orchard Strong industry Clinical research into avocado benefits yielding promising results Producing improved trees takes time Avocados’ folate claim set to change Water availability major issue for Californian growers

Printed at: Kale Print Subscriptions NZ $125 plus GST per year (five issues) In New Zealand NZ $27 per single copy NZ Avocado Office PO Box 13267, Tauranga 3141 Ph: 07 571 6147 or 0800 AVOCADO (0800 286 2236) Fax: 07 571 6145 www.nzavocado.co.nz

5 6 9 10 11 13 14 16

17 23 26 29 32 35 36 37

News 2013 NZAGA & AIC AGM 2013 Avocado Awards Industry news Avocado news from the world

39 41 43 48

Promotions Promotions update

Cover: NZ Avocado Staff “The team that delivered” (Absent: Edwina Aitchison and Bart Hofstee) Photograph by Mark McKeown/Musae Studios.

51

I Chair’s Comment I

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By Ashby Whitehead NZAGA and AIC Chair alwhitehead@xtra.co.nz

nce inspires industry I would like to start by congratulating all those involved in hosting a very successful industry conference.

A huge thank you to those that contributed; sponsors, exhibitors, guest speakers, NZ Avocado Staff and Board, event organisers, the staff and Board from Avocados Australia Ltd and the many other people and companies involved.

Also a big thanks to those growers that took the time to attend, I would like to think you came away from the conference inspired about our industry, as I certainly did. I have heard very positive feedback on the conference.

The keynote speakers were excellent; from Stephen Toplis’ entertaining insight into the economies of the Asian markets to an avocado and raspberry smoothie demonstration from Nadia Lim our NZ Avocado ambassador, to a scientific perspective on the benefits of avocados from USA based Dr Mark Dreher.

We were also updated on the developments in the world of cultivar screening and commercialisation by Dr Zelda van Rooyen from South Africa and on the direction of our very own R&D programme lead by Dr Alvaro Vidiella.

CEO John Tyas gave an update on the Australian industry and Jen Scoular presented the industry vision of a globally successful industry founded on strong collaboration and innovation across the value chain.

A highlight for a large portion of the delegates would have been the Freshmax Conference Gala Dinner with entertainment provided by Darren Carr, a ventriloquist and comedian from Australia who kept us well entertained - I haven’t laughed so much for a very long time, this was an enjoyable change from the usual exsportsperson types that are normally engaged for these events.

During the conference we held the 32nd Annual General Meeting of the NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. Grower attendance was light considering this meeting was hosted in the largest

growing region by number of PPINs, but for those of you that attended thank you for making the effort.

The main topic of conversation was the motion that the Board put forward regarding the Government Industry Agreements (GIA). As you will read on page 35, this motion was supported and the consultation process will begin with a round of roadshows in December, followed by a postal vote to determine support or otherwise for the industry to sign the GIA Deed.

At the AGM we also presented two avocado awards; one was to Leonie Batt from Whangarei.

Leonie has been a past Board member and stalwart of the industry for many years. The second award was for Dr Henry Pak, a very well-deserved award after the thirteen years that Henry has had with Avocado Industry Council.

He will be missed and we thank him for his passion to see the industry succeed.

Going back through the calendar, in July I attended the Horticulture New Zealand conference in Wellington where the main topic for discussion was Future Focus. This is a review of the organisation’s effectiveness and ability to deliver value to growers. HortNZ is also working towards finalising a working group to look at the organisation’s Board election process and structure.

I would like to acknowledge Andrew Fenton’s contribution as chairman of HortNZ over the years and wish his successor Julian Raine all the best in his new role.

With the export season upon us you will all have your orchards ready to go. One thing I would like growers to be aware of is avocado theft, which seems to be on the rise. Growers need to monitor their orchards regularly to be aware of theft. My orchard has been targeted yet again this year; I have set up alarms and put in locked gates on all entrances into the orchard to hopefully deter any further theft. Please notify the police if you have been a target.

Lastly I would like to welcome Sue Culham and Ian Fulton to the NZAGA and AIC Boards. Sue and Ian now represent Mid North and the Far North respectively. Thank you to Ian Broadhurst who stepped down from the Far North seat after six years of service to the industry.

I wish the industry well for a successful export season.  5

I CEO’s Comment I

One dir What an exciting month it’s been.

It was wonderful to see so many at the conference, and to really feel a collective desire to work together to build a stronger, more sustainable and profitable industry.

Our planning for the conference was based on providing a platform for R&D to be presented by both the New Zealand and Australian industries. We then recognised that our industry isn’t just about growing avocados, it’s about ensuring our wonderful avocados get to market in premium condition, educating consumers about the amazing nutritional properties of avocados and inspiring them to eat more avocados to enhance their health and their life.

We can’t separate out the different parts of the industry; we all need to be working together, sharing information, and building capability, knowledge and productivity in a collaborative, successful way.

We really do need to think about the whole value chain and doing our bit to optimise that.

There was exciting news announced just before the conference that the “Avocados for Export” research bid submitted to the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) by Plant & Food Research, with support from NZ Avocado, was accepted. The $4.5m R&D project will run for five years from 1 October 2013, and will see a very strong alignment between NZ Avocado and PFR to find solutions to irregular bearing and develop innovation through the value chain.

At the conference Alvaro explained that the R&D programme that we are using actual performance to suggest where we should focus our innovation, and making sure we measure our success.

It was a great to see the reactions from growers at the conference when they received the scatter chart and report on how their orchard performed against other growers, and 6

By Jen Scoular New Zealand Avocado CEO jen.scoular@nzavocado.co.nz

rection the industry. We do need to measure performance, we need to understand what is being done on orchards that help them perform better, and use that success to develop tools for other growers to use.

Russ Ballard, Ian Proudfoot and Stephen Toplis all presented the “bigger picture” of how and where avocados fit into the New Zealand agri-business story, where New Zealand fits in with Asia, and the opportunities and challenges for our industries. Peter Thomson, Mike Chapman and Lois Ransom gave us clear direction around biosecurity and the Government Industry Agreements. These topics are very relevant to us, and it’s very important we all read the documentation and understand the part we play in preventing biosecurity issues, and having systems that keep pests out and that ensure we don’t face residue issues in market. As if it wasn’t already clear enough from the media reports recently of Fonterra and China, growers and the industry must take biosecurity very seriously. It is a risk to every horticulture industry. The Board and staff are taking it seriously but need growers to ensure they follow best practice and meet the standards set by the industry.

Food safety came up in several of the sessions at the Asia Fruit Logistica Congress I attended in Hong Kong the week before our conference. Asia Fruit is a one day congress, followed by a three day trade show. It is the largest fresh produce trade show in Asia, and a smaller cousin of the huge Fruit Logistica in Berlin which I attended several times

during my time in Hamburg.

Trade shows (a bit like conferences) do have a bad reputation as time consuming, expensive and exhausting to organise and attend but they do provide an excellent networking opportunity, with everyone in the business; your partners, potential partners and competitors there. I learnt far more speaking directly to importers of New Zealand avocados about potential promotional activity than I could ever learn by phone or emails. Exporters were very open about introducing me to their customers.

Even the side conversations with Plant & Food Research regarding Australia and with Alan Pollard of Pipfruit were conversations I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to have, and proved very useful over a number of topics.

Key messages I heard: • Significant increase in interest in the opportunity to excel in producing “safe”, nutritious food.

• Know your consumer. Know your market. Don’t assume all Asian markets are alike.

• Food safety. Food safety. Food safety.

Sell the advantages we have: o Industry wide quality and grade standards; o AvoGreen, pest monitoring and spray diaries; o A strong, integrated export system.

Asia Fruit Magazine summarised the key messages coming out of the event: There is surging consumer demand in Asia leading some of the region’s major state-

owned enterprises and conglomerates to enter the fresh produce sector and make strategic outbound investments to secure supplies of high-quality fruit and vegetables.

The growth of population bases and economies across Asia are presenting global exporters with unprecedented trade opportunities. But beyond these there are opportunities for foreign entrants to supply their expertise and inputs to Asian countries to help up-scale and up-skill local production amid a growing imbalance between supply and demand.

A fantastic, eventful and successful month. A huge thank you to those who attended our conference. Thank you to our sponsors and exhibitors, to the Board for their support. And a huge thank you to my team. I suggested the cover of this conference edition of AvoScene was “the team who delivered”. Planning and implementation was hard work, both fast and fun, and furious and hectic, but there was no better reward than the feeling we got when 453 people gathered to talk passionately and optimistically about avocados.

Let’s be part of the amazing opportunities for New Zealand avocados in Australia and in Asia. Let’s as an industry thrive on the growth in demand for safe, healthy food, responsibly grown in a pristine environment.

Our opportunities are excellent.

There is a passion to succeed. But it does require that we are all in this together, collaborating, sharing ideas and information and heading in the same, profitable direction.  7

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8

By Alistair Young AIC Export Director alistair@southernproduce.co.nz

I Exporters’ Comment I

Harvesting: Market demands versus grower returns The season is underway and we are seeing many curve balls already in our crop profile and our ability to serve markets.

Unfortunately for us the Japanese and Asian markets want our smaller sizes early in the season, which is contrary to many growers’ harvest plans. Most growers don’t aspire to grow small fruit and this leads to a conflict of interests between growers and customers during the pre-Christmas period of the season.

In the international arena our competitors have the ability to offer the size the buyers want pretty much year round. The respective industries in Chile and Mexico are so large that the percentage of 30ct, for example, is adequate for most Asian needs and New Zealand has to market larger fruit against this competition each season. We have quality as an asset to offset size and value arguments, however, this makes our fruit more expensive due to the number of pieces in the box. In turn this creates resistance to our product sizing and can

cause demand issues when we least need them.

There are a few solutions to this issue early season. Growers who are thinning trees or have exposed fruit outside the canopy can pick down to utilise this fruit before it is lost to the chainsaw or to the sun. Some other growers who wish to lighten tree load may choose to pick smaller than normal to size up the balance of the crop on the tree.

The combination of all three mentioned picking systems gives us more smalls for Asia and helps dramatically to meet the demand. Growers please make sure you have identified to your packer/exporter the will to harvest small fruit for whatever motivation so exporters can utilise this fruit in the Asian window of opportunity where possible.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have the threat of too much small fruit in Australia at the end of the season. New Zealand needs to be careful we do not flood the market late

with an oversupply of smalls. The best way to mitigate this risk is to flow the fruit carefully and to set up prepack programmes at retail outlets overseas in advance of the fruit being harvested.

The smaller fruit in late February can also be held and sized for the New Zealand market if your orchard management systems allow.

It’s all about farming your property for the maximum return you can squeeze from the season. Be careful and calculated about your harvest plans so they satisfy the market whilst satisfying your needs as well. Small fruit does not return as well per hectare as large fruit does, that’s a fact.

On another note, the conference was a major success and I wish to acknowledge the work of the NZ Avocado team in putting together a world-class event. I was given an instruction manual on my obligations as an industry rep and even I couldn’t get it wrong it was so organised.

Brilliant job! 

Count

16ct

18ct

20ct

Percentage

23ct

24ct

2.4%

25ct

8.7%

28ct

16.2%

30ct

19.2%

32ct

6.5%

17.3%

16.1%

5.1%

8.4%

Australian and Korean preferred sizing

Asian preferred sizing exc luding Korea (30ct preferred)

9

By Linda Flegg NZAPF executive member linda@kauripak.co.nz

I Packers’ Comment I

Food safety, traceability and other nonsense Nonsense is only nonsense until something goes wrong.

Then the nonsense becomes very serious.

I am referring to product recall in the event of a contamination or residue detection in our overseas or New Zealand market.

Our clean green New Zealand image is what sells our products overseas and this includes your avocados. The New Zealand avocado industry was instrumental in becoming one of the first to develop a food safety programme under the umbrella of the NZ Food Safety Authority and this was designed to cover our New Zealand market produce as well as that destined for other countries.

At present, growers who export are audited either through GAP systems or similar that meet our customers’ requirements. What about the growers

10

that supply only the New Zealand market? At the very least all growers supplying the New Zealand market should complete a local market registration with Avocado Industry Council. This entitles you to use the industry food safety programme, which includes the spray diary and the forms in the Grower Section of the AIC Quality Manual.

There is a common misconception amongst growers that food safety compliance is only for export. New Zealand supermarkets and major retailers do require food safety compliance. They know that when purchasing from reputable sources that assurances of food hygiene, traceability and residues are in place.

The next progression in this cycle is the upcoming change to the Food Act which will require all sellers of produce to our local market to be audited by the local body authority (much like our cafés, bakeries and restaurants). It will also affect those growers that pick

and sell their own fruit to wholesale or hawkers.

How this will be policed is yet to be determined. What do you as growers need to do? To save time money and stress, just sell your fruit to a reputable company that will take this food safety worry and deal with it on your behalf.

Yes, you will need to be audited to that company’s food safety programme requirements, but it will save you having to design and implement your own food safety programme. These changes will come into force in just over 12 months’ time.

Who are reputable companies?

AIC Registered packers aligned with reputable marketers spring to mind. The NZ Avocado Packers Forum Inc. (and its membership) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NZ Avocado and we adhere to best practice guidelines for local market supply.

Ultimately it is up to the grower to decide, ask the right questions and make informed decisions. 

By Glen Dunseath Business & Marketing Manager Zeafruit glen@zeafruit.co.nz

I New Zealand Market Comment I

Great start to season With export underway and three months of the 2013-14 New Zealand market season behind us, it is a good time to reflect on the season to date.

It may well be noted as a ‘model’ start to the season - managed volumes of good quality fruit accessing a receptive customer market and maintaining equitable values for all in the supply chain.

Is it luck, guesswork, or chance that the season has started this way? I think not and have two compelling reasons why not.

1) The New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference has just concluded and I would describe it as one of the most industry inclusive conferences I have ever attended. There was a wide mix of participants including growers, marketers (both export and local), trade suppliers (machinery, tech services, and chemicals), packhouses, and most importantly - customers. Many horticultural sectors forget the role that the customer, in this case supermarket groups Progressive Enterprises Limited

and Foodstuffs, play in the supply chain, what they contribute to the industry and what their key motivators are. An industry without understanding of the customer and consumer requirements is not an industry going forward. A retail buyer with an understanding of what growers need is equally important and having key retailer personnel on site and participating in industry events allows for improved understanding between suppliers and buyers.

2) Industry consolidation. It is without question that the consolidation within the export sector has had an immediate impact upon the local market. This, combined with NZ Avocado initiated crop flow planning and discussion groups, has seen a managed crop flow entering the market, reducing previous peaks and troughs and ensuring a consistent industry message through to all stakeholders - including the customers. It is a credit to those involved that in quite challenging retail trade conditions such a positive start to the season has occurred.

It was interesting to note that both retailer presentations at the conference focused on similar key issues and also

good to note all of these points were actively covered during various other presentations by conference speakers, so a good deal of work and focus is underway already. The key issues noted by retailers were: • Consistency of supply, quality, and eating experience – including ripeness • Value - how to achieve growth in consumption whilst keeping value in the category • Promotional activity – improving consumer understanding, usage, and health benefits The next couple of months will be a challenge as incoming volumes are on the rise and retail demand remains mixed, with a significant number of other fruit products also chasing consumer share.

The key will be to continue the work done so far this season, to stay ahead and be pro-active of looming supply bulges. Communication remains the key to avoiding significant drops in OGR values and local marketers will be working hard to keep pack houses, exporters, and suppliers aware of market conditions enabling effective decision making and positive outcomes. 

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By Martin Munro Chairman, NZ Organic Avocado Growers Inc martin.jane.munro@gmail.com

I Organic growers’ comment I

Organics getting out and about Our Annual General Meeting in early August was a great success, with a group of 25 enthusiastic organic growers, new members and associate members. It was held at Peter and Annette McVeigh’s orchard in Katikati.

NZ Avocado CEO Jen Scoular forwarded her thoughts, which I read out to the attendees, on working together, especially in the area of research and development. They are interested to include the onorchard innovation being used and developed by organic growers in their development of best practice.

Following the AGM we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and tour of the McVeigh’s 5.3ha orchard. They have 250 trees, predominantly Hass. It is a young and vigorous orchard to which they have applied themselves in developing a well laid out and run operation.

Thank you to Peter and Annette for providing the venue for AGM and field day.

Nutritional Values 9-12 September 2013 I attended the Fifth New Zealand

and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference along with three other executive members representing NZOAGI. What a totally awesome show NZ Avocado put on for us New Zealand growers, our Australian counterparts, overseas speakers and everyone that attended. The cost of attendance was high, but in terms of value gained - it was a bargain.

For a conventional orientated event, there were many presentations that crossed into the areas that we as organic growers operate in. BioGro CEO Michelle Glogau gave an excellent presentation titled “The value of organic”.Points of particular interest to me from the conference were: • My Elvis impersonation.

• Nutrition research from Hass Avocado Board, USA presented by Dr Mark Dreher, a fascinating insight to the health benefits of eating avocado - imagine the research targeting organic avocado.

• NZ Avocado R&D programme, given by Dr Alvaro Vidiella, who has done some great number crunching and analysis of grower performance. He gave good direction as to the way the industry is looking to identify factors limiting regular production, complex research projects, on orchard projects,

development and implementation of best practice.

NZ Avocado is interested to include the on orchard innovation being used and developed by organic growers to contribute to this development of best practice.

• Selling nutrition through branding and packaging presented by Lisa Cork. Who would have thought of an avocado as a blank billboard?

Consumers watch this space.

• Progress in understanding avocado pollination presented by David Pattemore. All eyes on the humble bumble bee. This research will fit perfectly into organic production, and Declan please remember my request for spells to cast on thrips.

After the conference Jane and I hosted two visits from people we met at the conference; one was an organic grower from New South Wales, who has 1500 avocado trees and is in the process of planting a further 3000 in tight rows.

The second guest was Anna Petrou and her family. Anna is the communications manager for Avocados Australia Ltd. Ours is the first organic orchard she has visited and it was the first time her son had seen an avocado tree.

We were very happy to host these people and had fun making friends at the conference and networking with people from different locations and sections of the industry.

A big thank you from the New Zealand Organic Growers Inc. to Jen Scoular and her team at NZ Avocado for this awesome event.  13

Regional Roundups FAR NORTH

By Ian Fulton

Thanks to all the Far North growers that supported my nomination for the NZAGA executive elections. For those that do not know my background, seven years ago as a lifestyle change and a move to the best fishing in New Zealand, I purchased a recently planted orchard just south of Houhora. Prior to purchasing the orchard, my professional career included environmental management, mine site rehabilitation, soil conservation and agricultural engineering.

It was pleasant to see the number of Far North growers that made the effort to attend the recent conference. This conference was a great opportunity for networking - that is a real benefit of conferences. The scientific production information presented may have been heard before, a

AT LARGE

By Tony Ponder

Conference week was an avocado industry good news story in so many ways and showcased much of what is so good about this industry; the successful joint conference, commercial collaboration, strong grower participation, excellent trade support, a unified AGM, a successful MBIE Bid and the announcement by MPI of the progression of our China market access aspirations.

My congratulations to the NZ Avocado team and our Australian colleagues for a very well executed event and to those sponsors and particularly my fellow growers thank you for your investment and commitment to making this event successful.

There was a real buzz associated with the conference as attendees moved between marketing, orchard and industry related topics, the sessions were informative, relevant and the engagement provided real value for those who took the time to attend.

Our AGM was well attended and I sense from the remit support and the mood of the discussion that many growers are now more confident with our strategic direction, the business plan and general disclosures. All good stuff but much more that still needs to be done!

One general business item in particular and the ensuing discussion got me thinking in the days immediately post the AGM; what we think we have ready and ultimately our ability to respond effectively to an international incident may be two entirely different things. I can still hear Ron Bailey’s wise council resonating in my ears as he cautioned complacency in

14

refresher nevertheless. Something new that I found very interesting was the medical research from Dr Mark Dreher on the nutrition of avocados.

Picking for the local market commenced in mid-June, which was a couple of weeks later than usual. For those orchards that had early maturity, the local market returns were some of the highest ever achieved. Export picking is now in full swing with pack-outs about normal, though some of the better orchards have achieved well over 90 per cent.

As most orchards in the Far North show various levels of tree decline, winter is the ideal time to identify areas that are affected by poor drainage, whether it is elevated groundwater tables or surface water ponding. Once areas have been identified, remedial work should be planned for the drier periods of the year. On my orchard, areas of tree decline can be mostly attributed to poor surface water drainage between the humped rows.

this area and highlighted the experiences and learning from the recent Fonterra and Zespri issues. How relevant is this to our industry I hear you ask?

Our growth strategy and the emergence of new markets significantly highlights the risk in this area. By 2050 there will be nine billion mouths to feed worldwide, two billion middle class and massive demand for more food of higher quality that is traceable and produced sustainably. Take China alone, where 385 million people will migrate into cities over the next decade, with big dietary changes taking place. Food supply shortages are projected in the next decade and the import growth of fresh food is as much about food security as it is food safety.

Our opportunity will come from understanding these new consumers and aligning our brand promise with market entry strategies, food marketing, food safety commitments, supply security and sustainability to realise the value proposition required to drive profitability in the OGR. There are risks and if we want to fuel this economic food boom with avocados from New Zealand, we need to be wary about becoming complacent around consumer attitudes to buying fresh produce. Our new and emerging customers need to be confident that any complaints will be taken seriously and acted upon quickly.

When appropriate, reviewing our prevention, preparedness and recovery procedures, simulating an exporter product recall and enacting the avocado industry response protocols would be a good way to assess whether the current engagement procedures and decision making are likely to be effective.

Growers need to be confident that our crisis management plans are effective and to quote Professor Gray from Otago University: “Being seen to act in our customers’ interests will be more persuasive than any apology.”

News

and views from your regional NZAGA Grower Representatives

MID NORTH

By Sue Culham

Firstly I would like to thank Mike Eagles for the years of service he has given to the avocado industry and in particular the Mid North region. He is still very much involved with the growing of his own avocados and I am sure he will be around discussing and watching local issues.

This will be the first of my Regional Roundup columns and for those of you whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting I am sure that I will run into you during my term as your Regional Representative. Thank you for the support already shown from many growers.

My husband Shane and I have been growing avocados in Whangarei for nine years and I am passionate about this dynamic industry. I come from a finance background and since planting our orchard in 2004 I have up-skilled myself by completing my Level 4 Production Management in Horticulture, graduating Horticulture NZ Leadership Programme in 2011 and I am a current member of the Northland Horticulture Forum. I have a seven-year-old daughter Jade who at the age of four understood what a “cuke” was. Succession planning in place - tick.

Just recently returning from the Fifth Joint New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference “Nutritional Values” held in Tauranga, I found myself amazed that as a grower I wasn’t eating half an avocado a day! The health benefits from just that are huge; we have a fantastic

BAY OF PLENTY

By John Cotterell

I am writing this regional roundup less than a week after our joint New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference. This event ran like clockwork, a big thank you to all the NZ Avocado staff that put in a massive amount of work, mostly behind the scenes. I never heard a negative comment from anyone that attended and I had a number of growers say it was the best conference they had ever been to; the calibre of speakers was generally excellent, the AGM had good discussion around GIA with some food for thought for the directors.

Congratulations to Ian Fulton and Sue Culham for becoming the two new NZAGA Executive members and to Roger Barber for being re-elected for another term. Ian Broadhurst’s hands-on practical knowledge and Mike Eagles’

ambassador with Nadia Lim showing us how easy it is to make a smoothie for breakfast and conference speaker Dr Mark Dreher from USA, presenting us with evidence on research that is published, currently in progress and preliminary findings on the nutritional values of avocados.

If we as an industry can somehow influence consumers to understand these values, it will go a long way to proving that the food we are growing is and will be a major part of their daily dietary intake.

This conference was also about the nutrition that is essential for growing healthy trees and we had some very informative speakers on plant health. To expand on this I was lucky enough to spend time with Alvaro Vidiella of NZ Avocado, Kerry Everett (Plant & Food Research) and Zelda van Rooyen (Westfalia Technological Services – South Africa) after the conference when we spent the day visiting orchards in the Whangarei area, in particular the new cultivar trials and looking at the health or decline of these trees. This is an area that we all need to work on together as growers and share material/evidence of what is working, what’s not and what changes can we all make to have a healthy tree.

I will be re-instating the Discussion Group and if you would like your email address added to the contact list for this group, please e-mail me at sculham@xtra.co.nz or phone me on 09 437 7242 or 021 771 686.

Lastly I would like to congratulate Leonie Batt (my neighbour) and stalwart of the avocado industry for her Avocado Award announced at the AGM; she is an inspiration to us all.

passionate regional representation will be missed, but new blood is good.

In the Bay of Plenty we are two to three weeks away from full flowering; some polliniser trees have a number of flowers open now. Growers need to do everything they possibly can to give the best chance of getting a profitable fruit set. This includes spraying boron onto flower buds at the cauliflower stage; arranging to have strong beehives in your orchard as soon as you have Hass flowers open, not on the tenth of the tenth because that’s when they went in last year; keep the grass short to reduce flower competition and to allow the ground to be warmed up by the sun, which will then radiate from the ground during the night.

There are a number of growers in the Bay struggling to control six spotted mites at the moment with very few viable spraying options because of long withholding periods and picking dates to work around. Paramite is a very good product but the long withholding period for Japan is restricting its use.

15

New Zealand Avocado Highlights MBIE Bid successful Following collaboration with Plant & Food Research the avocado industry has successfully secured $4m of Government investment into research.

The announcement from Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce will see investment over the next five years into the Plant & Food Research project Avocados for Export, which aims to double New Zealand’s average avocado yield, overcome irregular fruit bearing and introduce new storage and shipping systems to export increased volumes of fruit.

Read more about this on page 45.

Nutritional Values conference held The Fifth New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’ Conference – Nutritional Values, was held 9 – 12 September at the

ASB arena in Tauranga. More than 450 delegates enjoyed three days of networking and learning. Feedback has been very positive and we thank all those growers who attended and especially the sponsors and exhibitors who made the event possible.

New Zealand public relations campaign underway Our season launch media kits have been sent to 30 top women’s, lifestyle and food media editors and writers plus influential New Zealanders. The information packs have received very positive feedback and pickup for future articles and features.

Nadia Lim is on board as the NZ Avocado Ambassador again and we are looking forward to a great season with lots of positive coverage of avocados and great value back to growers.

Picking our brains is all part of the service When you need unbiased advice, talk to the Farmlands Horticulture technical team.

Call our experienced technical team; we’ll come to you: Northland John Lees 027 612 1562 Helensville Maria Fathollahi 027 704 9263 Pukekohe Steven Dass 027 457 2742

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Bay of Plenty Mark Loeffen 027 705 6215

16

Our philosophy is simple: to provide the best advice to the grower without the hard sell.

Waikato Brett Turner 027 660 1165

We have the knowledge and expertise to help maximise crop production and increase your bottom line. And we’ll share it free of charge.

Hawke’s Bay Chris Herries 027 443 3910

East Coast Joe Lenaghan 027 555 6080 Wairarapa Sam Black 027 227 2052 Organic and Biological Unit Gareth Ingram 027 511 8097

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Conference adds value for all New Zealand Avocado hosted more than 450 delegates at a “fantastic”, “inspiring” and “exciting” conference from 9-12 September 2013 at the ASB Arena in Tauranga.

By Midge Munro NZ Avocado Communications Manager mmunro@nzavocado.co.nz

Speakers and programme Nutritional values attracted 55 quality speakers and panellists who were not all just from the avocado industry. We included economists - Stephen Toplis, BNZ, and Ian Proudfoot, KPMG; business people from other successful industries such as Comvita’s CEO Brett Hewlett and a former marketing specialist for Zespri, Natalie Milne. There were also medical researchers and nutritional experts such as Dr Mark Dreher, representing HAB; Karen Bishop from the University of Auckland; and Lisa Yates from Australia. We also had representation from New Zealand’s supermarket sector, Andrew Keaney from Foodstuffs and Ben Bartlett from Progressive Enterprises. A highlight was NZ Avocado Ambassador Nadia Lim who demonstrated a delicious and easy to make avocado and raspberry smoothie.

Nutritional Values was the fifth meeting of the four yearly conferences between NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. and Avocados Australia limited. These events present a chance to share information on science, marketing and industry systems and also to get together with growers, scientists and industry participants from different situations and sections of the value chain to network and share ideas.

The theme of the conference was Nutritional Values and was designed to inspire growers and show the industry the bigger Sponsors and industry exhibition picture. This business goes beyond the orchard gate; it involves Industry support was immense; the exhibition was sold out the markets, the consumers and the forces that influence them and there were sponsors in all of the sponsorship tiers. We and their behaviour. would especially like to thank AVOCO for their The conference sessions were made up of support in the role of Principle Conference “I found it really three streams; Marketing Nutrition, Healthy Partner and the Horticentre Trust for their Orchard and Strong Industry – these are also support as a Gold Sponsor. Also AGMARDT inspiring, key three very important pillars of focus for the for sponsoring the travel of two of our speakers. note speakers were New Zealand industry and closely aligned The conference provided a chance to connect with the NZ Avocado five year plan. It was with growers, customers and colleagues and fantastic.” clear over the course of the conference that the organising committee hopes that all all of these areas need to be in top condition sponsors and exhibitors took advantage of this Chris Ridder, if we are to advance our market share and opportunity.

New Zealand grower. value; however, these elements are not John Carroll from Principal Conference controlled by just one group of people – it is Partner AVOCO felt the conference was a great the participants in the entire value chain that way to launch their new venture to the industry. must work together to ensure success.

“From AVOCO’s point of view, it was great timing - the start Overall feedback has been very positive - key words taken from of the harvest and the start of AVOCO. Our supporters really some of the comments are used in the opening of this article felt very connected to something new and were excited about and are characteristic of a sentiment shared by most delegates. what AVOCO will bring to the industry. And while AVOCO is There has also been some good constructive feedback which has new and is exciting, it’s the strength of the foundations and the been taken on board and will be used to help us improve future experience of the people involved that makes such a difference. events.

This was apparent at the conference. continued...

17

Aongatete Coolstores Ltd/Avoject – www.cooolstore.co.nz/products AsureQuality Ltd – www.asurequality.com Avocados Australia Limited – www.avocado.org.au Avocado Oil New Zealand Limited – www.avocado-oil.co.nz AVOCO TM BT9 Technologies Limited – www.bt9-tech.com Capital Tractors & Machinery Limited Carbon Conditioning (2012) Ltd – www.nulifehumates.co.nz Colour Vision Systems Pty Ltd – www.cvs.com.au Dow Agro Sciences Ltd – www.dowagro.com/nz Freshmax NZ Ltd – www.freshmax.co.nz Glenbrook Machinery – www.glenbrook.co.nz GPS-it Limited – www.gpsit.co.nz Grochem NZ – www.grochem.co.nz Grosafe Chemical Limited - www.grosafechemicals.co.nz Hill Laboratories – www.hill-laboratories.com

Horticentre Trust - www.horticentre.co.nz Hydralada Company Ltd – www.hydralada.com Jenkins Freshpac Systems/Sinclair Systems/J-Tech Systems – www. jenkinsgroup.co.nz Just Avocados Ltd – www.justavocados.co.nz Kubota / New Holland – www.norwood.co.nz Label Press (QLD) Pty Limited – www.labelpressaustralia.com.au Marsh Limited - www.newzealand.marsh.com New Zealand Avocado – www.nzavocado.co.nz/industry Omnia Specialties NZ Ltd – www.omnia.net.nz Powerco – www.powerco.co.nz Propak Industries - www.propakindustries.com.au Queensland Plastic/Chemjet - www.queenslandplastics.com.au Radfords Software Ltd – www.radfords.co.nz Silvan New Zealand Pty Ltd – www.silvannz.co.nz Tama Stretch Pallet Netting - www.transportect.co.nz

Other conference supporters Apata Ltd – www.apata.co.nz Compac Sorting Equipment – www.compacsort.com Cooltainer New Zealand Ltd - www.cooltainers.co.nz Hortplus – www.hortplus.com

18

Port of Tauranga – www.port-tauranga.co.nz Trevelyan’s Pack & Cool Ltd – www.trevelyans.co.nz Winstone Wallboards Ltd – Gypsum – www.gypsum.co.nz

Conference adds value for all continued

Pruning contractor Mike Dillon explaining to delegates how the trees have been pruned.

Trevelyan’s packs 400,000 trays of avocados and nine million trays of Green, Gold and Organic kiwifruit fruit for 220 orchards from Katikati to Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty, through to the Hawke’s Bay and as far south as Taumaranui in the King Country.

Delegates were taken on a tour of the packing facility by avocado manager Daniel Birnie and general Field Trip manager, Stephen Butler. The shed was “The avocado conference On the last day of the conference, packing avocados at the time and delegates was outstanding. You delegates got to head out and see some of were able to see this process in action. the Bay of Plenty avocado industry first Following this, the tour went to Plant & guys did a great job hand. Half of the delegates headed south of Food Research’s Te Puke site where Stuart facilitating and bringing the conference venue for Kiwifruit country Kaye and Mark Goodwin discussed the the whole thing together.

- Te Puke, and the other half were taken science and breeding programme plus north to Katikati. their work with honey bees and also the Well done.”

In Te Puke, delegates visited Ron and bumblebee domicile trials.

Shirley Bailey’s 200ha property, which - Brett Reid, MG Marketing.

Delegates were then treated to a tasting of consists of a dairy, kiwifruit and a 15ha the various varieties of the kiwifruit cultivars avocado orchard. The family has been on PFR are developing. this land for 50 years.

In Katikati, delegates managed to dodge the rain in John The discussion lead by Ron, Chris Bailey – orchard manager, and Cindy Cotterell’s shed while David Pattemore discussed Alvaro Vidiella - NZ Avocado Innovation Manager, and Bart the bumblebee domicile trial underway at the property, Mike Hofstee - NZ Avocado research technician, focussed on new Dillon described the pruning methods used and John went cultivars and pruning. through the history and performance of the orchard.

The Bailey’s property is home to an industry trial of 0.3ha The 8.5ha property has 4.6ha in avocados with most trees of Hass, Maluma and Carmen on Dusa, Bounty, Duke7, aged 20+ years old. There is a new 0.25ha planting of Hass Latas, AIC1 and AIC3 rootstocks as well as 1.5ha of new on Dusa rootstock in an area that was previously planted with plantings of Hass on Dusa and Bounty rootstock in a replant 30+ year old avocados which were too high to pick with a situation. The trees being replaced were 20+ years old and had 10 metre elevated work platform and were out to 24 metre symptoms of tree decline. spacings. Dusa rootstock was chosen as the Cotterells believes Next was a trip to Trevelyan’s packhouse, a family owned this performs well in a replant situation. facility with its beginnings in 1965. continued...

“It was a chance for everyone to ask questions and glean information. As a result, everyone felt at ease. We could see it in the growers, that they were already feeling proud to be a part of AVOCO, and the conference allowed us to demonstrate further the logic of what we’re doing and why it can be successful,” says John.

19

Conference adds value for all The orchard has an annual Phytophthora control programme and a fertiliser programme. The orchard is also irrigated with frequency determined by irrometers.

From here we travelled to Apata pack house which has been in operation for 30 years and is New Zealand’s largest avocado post-harvest facility Kiwifruit provides the core component of Apata’s business, with several million trays passing through Apata coolstores from March to November, whilst avocados are harvested and packed year round with the export season spanning September through to March.

Jim Tarawa, John Bird and Niko Tahu lead the tour of the facility, which was packing avocados at the time. Delegates got to watch the whole packing process from bin tip to pallet strapping – a fascinating display of complex machinery and processes washing, sorting, grading and sizing the avocados for the various markets.

The final stop was Avocado Oil New Zealand where CEO Brian Richardson took delegates through the story of the 11 year old company and explained that the world’s best avocado oil is produced in New Zealand. Avocados are a tropical fruit and the lower temperatures in which New Zealand avocados are grown result in a slower maturing fruit with a specific profile of fatty acids, which contributes to the unique composition of New Zealand avocado oil.

The cold press process used to create The Grove brand of oil ensures that it reaches consumers in its purest and most

continued

nutritionally beneficial form.

A highlight was an up close look at the new avocado powder which Avocado Oil New Zealand launched in Baltimore, USA last month. This product is aimed at nutraceuticals, natural health products and cosmetics and personal care products.

We finished up with an oil tasting which encouraged many of the delegates to purchase oil to take home.

Media coverage We were swamped with media enquiries and coverage in the lead up to and during the conference – it was impossible for anyone in the Bay of Plenty not to have seen or heard something about the conference or the avocado industry in print, on the radio or on TV. During the conference our industry was also highlighted in national media.

The industry was portrayed as having challenges but also as having great potential and the vibrancy to act on that potential.

The conference was certainly a great display of the entire industry working together – from the range of presenters to the industry exhibition and the interaction happening between all delegates, speakers and industry suppliers – there was a real feeling of collaboration and a united force to take the industry forward.

The next joint conference is due to be held in Australia in 2017 and the World Avocado Congress is coming up in Peru in 2015. We hope you will consider attending these events. 

“Great conference and great location and venue!

Great job.”

Australian grower.

21

MARKETING THE BEST

AVOCADOS IN NEW ZEALAND AND AROUND THE WORLD

Nadia Lim

JARROD REDWOOD Avocado Program Manager P +64 9 573 8581 M +64 27 200 0295 E jredwood@freshmax.co.nz

KIM FRASER Domestic Manager P +64 9 917 1485 M +64 21 629 816 E kfraser@freshmax.co.nz

RODGER BAYLY Export Marketing P +64 7 985 6802 M +64 21 622 577 E rbayly@freshmax.co.nz

DAVE ALDERTON Technical Services M +64 21 505 814 E dalderton@freshmax.co.nz

22

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Marketing nutrition: Consumer education, fruit quality, key to driving growth Consumers need to be educated about avocados’ attributes as a unique whole food with scientifically proven health benefits and great taste, in order to drive demand and improve grower returns.

This was a message reinforced by many speakers at Nutritional Values.

It was Dr Mark Dreher, president and chief science officer, nutrition science solutions and nutrition research advisor for the Hass Avocado Board, who presented the latest research findings on avocados’ health and nutrition benefits. The board has commissioned research in the fruit’s role in the areas of cardiovascular health, weight management, healthy living and type 2 diabetes and the findings are positive (see story page 32).

Midge Munro, Communications Manager at NZ Avocado, told delegates the industry has adopted a public relations focus to raise the profile of avocados among consumers in New Zealand.

“Using people who are recognisable and trusted such as NZ Avocado Ambassador Nadia Lim, to deliver messages to the public about how good avocados are for them is an effective use of the budget we currently have.

“PR is a powerful tool but it’s a “slow burn” and the results are not instant. However, it is a very efficient and effective use of our promotions budget and the message is certainly getting out there, being heard and being acted on.”

Research by the industry conducted in 2011 showed that avocados were not a traditional mainstream food and many New Zealanders were unsure of how to use them. There were also misconceptions around about the fat content.

“That perception is changing and the New Zealand media now understands that the fat in avocados is good fat and more stories are coming out saying that,” says Midge.

Lisa Cork, owner and director of Fresh Produce Marketing Ltd, says the industry is missing the opportunity to tell consumers just how good avocados are by not putting nutrition information on fruit labels.

“In fresh produce we have some of the healthiest products in the world and yet on the product itself we have absolutely nothing to tell our story. To some degree we are failing to optimise what it is that makes produce unique because our packing has a huge opportunity to help sell more product.

“Packaging matters. Packaging is seen by thousands, tens of thousands and in some cases depending on the market, even hundreds of thousands of shoppers a day. It works for you 365 days of the year. There are very few other media that work that hard. You can put a sales message or buy me message on

a sticker or your pack and as most are already investing in the cost of a sticker, you can do that at almost no extra cost to turn your packing into a sales tool.

“Packaging can be a small sticker, a sticker on a food pack or printed tops of net-long bag. It is seen at point of decision by shoppers who are walking by or standing in front of avocado displays and your packaging is the last item that speaks to them to compel them to buy.”

Packaging or stickers at the point of sale (or point of decision) reinforce messages to consumers through other channels such as traditional media and social media.

Natalie Milne, formerly of Zespri, told the conference, that while avocados have significant health attributes, marketing those characteristics benefits all other avocado producers too.

The New Zealand industry should promote what is unique about its avocados including size, quality and taste but building distribution and channel management is the primary focus when entering a new market, she says.

“Zespri uses health marketing as a supporting strategy which sits alongside taste, quality and brand but these have to come first when developing a market.”

Health messaging becomes important as consumption increases, as it gives consumers a reason to believe and motivates repeat purchases.

“Any health messaging should be focused on good health, not curative as it’s just not believable.”

Avocados have a good story to tell around the fruit’s content of good fats, fibre and omega and easily fit into the kinds of claims which are permitted to be made in markets such as the USA and European Union, says Natalie.

Brett Hewlett, Comvita CEO, told how their company had turned Manuka honey, once considered a nuisance because it was hard to process, into a very high value product, thanks to branding, innovation, research and understanding what customers want.

“Manuka honey used to be a throw away product fed to cattle because it goes very glutinous but Comvita has transformed the whole value of Manuka honey.”

By adding value through branding, incorporating the honey in medical products such as wound care and in beauty products, Comvita has taken Manuka honey from a bulk price of around $12 a kilo to up to $500 per 250 grams. Achieving those gains takes significant investment of capital in research and development, says Brett.

“The most value can be created when you get as close as possible to the end consumer. The most important thing to continued...

23

Marketing nutrition: Consumer education, fruit quality, key to driving growth Continued

recognise is that value is created in the minds of our consumers.

That’s where the moment of truth begins and ends - in the minds of consumers.”

Comvita’s success at adding value to Manuka honey is a classic example of value-add but to create a value proposition, producers must know what the value drivers are for their consumers.

Even though avocados are a great natural food, consumers can be turned off by inconsistencies in quality and supply, says Andrew Keaney of Foodstuffs.

Andrew says quality at the beginning of the season is usually really good but can falter when the volume pressure comes on.

“As an industry we seem to deliver the worst experience to customers in the height of the season.

“As a consumer I’ve been affected by inconsistency when I have purchased two avocados of very different quality at the same time. From a consumer’s perspective, an inconsistent experience is a fast way to turn them away from category and they may not come back.”

However, Andrew says the avocado category is an exciting one with huge potential to grow value and volume.

“To achieve that requires real focus by all stakeholders. It is up to us to work together to deliver and capitalise on the potential of avocados for all stakeholders.

“We should celebrate the success achieved by the New Zealand avocado industry to date. We’ve seen significant growth in terms sales and production and growth in export markets. What is pleasing for us as local retailers is seeing greater focus on the domestic market which has grown at an astounding rate to be around half of industry value, up from one third 10 years ago.”

Ben Bartlett of Progressive Enterprises Ltd agrees quality and supply are issues for the New Zealand market. The avocado industry collectively needs to take a strategic approach to raising the profile of avocados in New Zealand, he says.

While avocados account for five per cent of fruit sales at Countdown supermarkets, there are challenges because of poor fruit quality. Ben says there needs to be accountability from the

24

tree to the shelf. Variability of conditioning, maturity and grade standards are also an issue.

Consumer education should focus on the health benefits, nutrition, selection, storage and handling information and how to select the perfect avocado for various uses. To ensure product consistency, repeat purchase and category growth, Countdown has, for the last five years, implemented a nationwide comprehensive avocado conditioning programme.

Many shoppers, says Ben, want an avocado which is ready to use in the recipe they are planning for that night.

The vital role the New Zealand market plays in maximising grower returns has been clearly illustrated by the record $28.7 million it earned in the 2012-2013 season says Bevan Jelley, of New Zealand Avocado.

That return was a 50 per cent increase on the previous season, and 30 per cent higher than ever before.

The industry’s five year plan has among its goals and objectives to “maximise grower value over the long term by a disciplined approach to market development and retention”.

“In 2012 we undertook market analysis of the avocado value chain in New Zealand and spoke to growers, packers, marketers, retailers and consumers to identify the key issues and challenges in the New Zealand market and the opportunities to create more value for everyone along the value chain.”

That analysis revealed a wide range of issues which have been grouped into five key areas. These focus areas form the basis of NZ Avocado’s strategy to maximise value in the New Zealand market. They are: improved information sharing and collaboration; informed flow planning and discipline in flows to market; understanding the supply chain to ensure gaps and weaknesses are addressed; improved quality to consumers including early season maturity; and increasing consumption by raising the visibility of avocados.

The New Zealand market for avocados is maturing and the nutrition and usage information now available to consumers is enhancing the offering and supporting the increased value the industry is aiming for. 

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Healthy orchard: Growers must change their ways to effect change Alvaro Vidiella

Irregular bearing is a condition which will respond well to changes in management practices – that was among the messages to come from speakers in the healthy orchard stream.

A panel discussion on nitrogen management for avocado trees was among the best attended of the conference, with growers keen to hear the views of Colin Partridge of Team Avocado; Jerome Hardy, technical manager with Primor and Lindsay Heard of Brenmark Horticultural Consultants and Simon Newett, principal extension horticulturalist with AgriScience Queensland.

Colin began with a presentation of information, generally agreed upon by the other panellists. These included that nitrogen appears to be the most important of the essential elements required for avocado production.

“But I do not believe it is the most important factor affecting alternate bearing or irregular bearing. If it was, the alternative bearing issue would have been solved by now,” Colin said.

Nitrogen management can help alleviate irregular bearing but only if the other very important factors are addressed – late harvest, pollinisers, irrigation, root rot control, stock scion combinations and pruning intervention.

Without irrigation or rain, nutrients 26

cannot be taken up. In New Zealand, spring and summer can be windy and or very dry. Fertigation is an option but it is only as good as the irrigation system delivering it. Most irrigations systems in New Zealand are not optimally designed and managed.

When it comes to nitrogen, a little and often approach is best.

In a separate address to the conference, Alvaro Vidiella, innovation manager with NZ Avocado, said the New Zealand industry’s average yield is not very good and it varies widely.

“In the top 200 hectares for the last four years the average yield is higher but still not very high. However, we do have some orchards with high yields and low variability.”

Those high producing orchards will form part of research studies and Alvaro says initial findings show pinning down exactly what is happening on orchard and what makes a difference to performance is not easy, as an avocado orchard is a complex system where circumstances change constantly.

High producing orchards are found alongside those which don’t perform as well and while some may have a unique microclimate or soils, management practices make a difference. However, even on high producing orchards, some blocks may not perform as well as others.

New Zealand growers who attended the conference were given a print out from NZ Avocado of where their orchard sat

on the industry performance scatter chart (shown on the opposite page).

The scatter chart shows the performance of each PPIN, using the average of the last four years yield and irregular bearing index. Ideally, performance is high in yield - charted on the left hand vertical axis, and low in irregular bearing index – charted on the horizontal axis. The chart is sectioned by level of performance; green being very good down through light green, orange, then into red, which is low yield and high irregular bearing. The irregular bearing index used is an internationally accepted formula taking, in the current year, year two plus the yield of year one minus the yield of year two and then dividing that by the sum of both years’ yields.

When calculating the monetary benefit of good performance at an OGR level we see that a poor performing orchard is achieving only one fifth of the return of a good performing orchard, demonstrated by the $1 versus the $5 on the second chart on the opposite page.

This is a good start to measuring and benchmarking performance of orchards in New Zealand. The industry can see current performance and can measure over time the impact of developing best practice and up-take of this by growers.

Grant Thorp, senior scientist at Plant & Food Research, said productivity on avocado orchards has not lifted in the past 40 to 50 years while apple and kiwifruit industries have significantly increased crop yields.

It’s a real travesty for the avocado industry that yield hasn’t risen and if growers continue to do what they have always done they will get the same results.

“High crop loads on mango trees can regulate gibberellin metabolism and inhibit return bloom. In avocado, as in mango, we need to understand when this inhibition occurs so we can optimise the timing and intensity of flower and/or fruit thinning to ensure consistent yield.” (Gibberellins are natural plant growth regulators).

Preliminary trial work on avocados in New Zealand appears to show that removing fruit from the trees in February may have a dramatic impact on flowering, Grant says.

“All of the current season’s fruit were removed from one group of trees in February 2013, and the remaining trees were left as controls. In spring 2013, the treatment trees (with fruit removed) have early and profuse flowering while the control trees with fruit retained, have delayed and sparse flowering.

“By repeating these treatments over time we will determine when fruit inhibit flower development so we can use crop management techniques to achieve more consistent yields.

“If we really want to start increasing bottom line tonnes per hectare for avocado, we have got to do something different. The new paradigm for avocado orchards is going from big trees to small trees.”

The apple industry took 50 years to go from a few big trees to the hectare to where it is now and one of the factors has been the use of dwarfing rootstocks.

“What we are trying to do is transfer the same principles to avocado trees.

Progress has been made in New Zealand, California and Chile to develop small tree, high density orchards based on the slender pyramid training system.”

As well as taking part in the panel discussion, Simon Newett presented the findings of his scoping study on avocado alternative bearing in Australia. In 2012 he visited 54 growers, consultants, extension officers and pack-shed managers, collecting information from 51 orchards about their environmental, management and yield history as part of the study.

In October 2012 his findings were considered by an expert panel which came to the conclusions that “Australia currently has only a minor problem with alternate bearing but does have a problem with irregular bearing”.

Simon’s study found that flower initiation, (which is associated with alternate bearing) does not appear to be a major issue in Australia however, pollination and fruit-set appears to be the biggest issue. Fruit retention is the second biggest issue but good managers reported that the second fruit shedding event in particular can be minimised through better management, especially irrigation.

Simon said growers are using a number of practices to minimise yield fluctuations.

These include: harvesting earlier and applying higher rates of nitrogen as soon as it is apparent that a big crop has been set not only to feed this crop but also to generate leaf growth to produce carbohydrates for the next flowering and crop.

Ensuring boron levels are adequate, closer monitoring of soil moisture and being more responsive with irrigation applications, using more mulch and overhead misting during heat waves are also carried out.

Improving canopy management, timing individual limb removal, pruning every year and cincturing limbs to be pruned off after harvest also helps.

The judicial use of plant growth substances and introducing more bees, but not until 10 to 30 per cent of flowers are open is also beneficial.

Alvaro says there is no silver bullet to solve the industry’s problems of irregular bearing but there is hope.

“We have to have an integrated approach and look at the different sources of variability in different orchards to see how they affect productivity and find which sources are the most limiting factors. If we understand when they become limiting, we can develop best practice.”

Scientific research will be part of that development but so will on-orchard research and crucial to it all will be continued communication between and involvement of growers, consultants and all stakeholders.

27

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Strong industry: Challenge to industry to lift game Jen Scoular

New Zealand Avocado CEO Jen Scoular put it succinctly when she told delegates: “If avocado growers are making money, everyone in the value chain is making money.”

Key to that goal is the industry’s five year plan which aims to maximise value for all parties along the value chain and create a sustainable, profitable industry.

That has been enhanced by the successful bid, together with Plant & Food Research, for $4.5 million in funding from the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment into the New Zealand avocado industry.

Jen says identifying and learning from growers with high yielding, low irregular bearing orchards will help take the entire industry to higher yields and higher consistency.

Developing markets is another goal and the industry achieved the remarkable result of a 32 per cent increase in value in the New Zealand market in the 2012-13 season, earning a record $28.7 million.

The industry can also find

opportunities in the Asian markets where populations are getting older, food safety is a major priority and there is a continued increase in consumption of avocado.

“There is an increasing demand from wealthy Asians for healthy food from a safe origin,” says Jen. However, on the down side there is also a significant increase in the global supply of avocados, New Zealand is a small player and New Zealand production is unreliable.

Dr Russell Ballard, independent chairman of the Plant Market Access Council of New Zealand told the conference that producers need to get involved in the off-shore supply chain, get closer to their consumers and invest more in research and development.

New Zealand exports worth $23.3 billion when they leave this country sell for between $140 and $200 billion.

“That’s a six fold value which mostly goes to others and does not flow back to New Zealand producers. New Zealand must find the capital to get involved in the supply chain (off-shore).”

If doing so captured just 25 per cent extra in earnings that would equate to an additional return of around $60 billion, he says.

Achieving that growth in markets is possible and there are many freshly arising or under-exploited opportunities including those in emerging economies with rapidly growing middle classes, and interest in the role of food in health, says Russell. Exporters also need to do a better job of meeting consumer needs and in the area of processed foods.

The primary industry has been held back by a lack of knowledge of consumer needs, particularly in emerging markets, and fragmentation between sectors and government and along the value chain. Low levels of investment in research and development, lack of access to capital, low level of overseas direct investment and a need for more capacity are other factors, Russell says.

One of the biggest threats to the avocado industry’s strength could come from new pests and diseases and Lois Ransom, secretariat manager for the GIA told delegates signing up to the proposed Government Industry Agreement is part of managing the risk of being a primary industry business.

“Growers need to ask: is bio-security important to your business? Look at what happened to the kiwifruit industry with Psa. Could the same thing happen continued...

29

Strong industry: challenge to industry to lift game

to the avocado industry? It possibly could,” Lois says.

By signing up to the agreement, the avocado industry will be part of the decision-making process, should there be a bio-security risk to that sector. The industry will be involved early in the response phase and benefit from more effective response and more transparent transactions.

“The Ministry for Primary Industries is there to deliver good biosecurity but they could not and should not do it alone. There will be things government should do and things industry should be doing,” says Lois, whose role is an independent one working with industry and government to deliver GIA outcomes. The secretariat is directed by the Interim Government Body and is independent of any industry or government organisation.

“Growers need to look at what you have got now versus what you would have under the GIA deed. At the moment MPI decides the response and strategy and determines when to stop and start. The government pays but the industry is consulted.

The government may or may not undertake surveillance or maintain laboratory capability.

There are ad-hoc assessments of new risks. Growers may still be charged for the costs of an incursion.”

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc CEO Mike Chapman has seen first-hand, during the three years since the vine disease Psa-V was discovered, the severe an impact a new disease can have on growers. He told the conference he is concerned New Zealand remains vulnerable to other pest and disease incursions – and Australian fruit fly represents one of the biggest risks.

“A fruit fly incursion would stop many horticultural exports; and for kiwifruit it is estimated this would cost the Bay of Plenty (based on 2008 figures) the loss of more than 3400 jobs and $820 million in lost earnings.”

Mike says recent changes to regulations in Australia are of concern.

“The Riverina and Shepparton Irrigation Areas, where a lot of New Zealand fruit and vegetable imports 30

come from, will no longer be managed according to the Fruit Fly Control Code of Practice. In other words there will be no fruit fly controls in place and eradication actions taken.

“The removal of the movement restrictions on Queensland fruit fly host material across states, with the exception of the Greater Sunraysia pest-free area.

These changes came into effect on July 1, 2013.

“The result is the chance of a fruit

Continued

more than anywhere apart from Brazil. In China and India it is about 1.2 million cubic metres per person.

“We need work out how we maximise that advantage in terms of agriculture.

What we are doing in effect is taking water, putting it through a “converter” and exporting it in the form of proteins.

How we use water effectively will be very important in future.”

Ian says the world’s growing population offers opportunities and challenges for New Zealand producers.

Between now and 2050, Dr Russell Ballard 68 million people a year will move from the world’s rural areas to cities.

“That’s the equivalent of three Shanghai cities each year moving to urban living, creating a huge challenge for the food system.”

The world population is predicted to grow from 7 billion to 9 billion in the next 37 years and 1.5 billion of that growth will be in Africa, which is already struggling to feed its people.

However, there is also a growing middle class in the Asia Pacific region – people who don’t have to buy food to survive but like to buy food to enhance their lifestyle.

“I think from New Zealand’s perspective this creates potential fly incursion in New Zealand has just customers but doesn’t give us guaranteed dramatically increased and, when this is customers.” added to the level of biosecurity at our Global food retailers are key players in seaports, this is a real and present danger. the food sector, with the biggest operating “Kiwifruit Vine Health has asked for across 91 countries and accounting for an urgent review by the ministry of the around $1.3 trillion worth of sales.

Australian fruit fly risk. This is critical.

New Zealand’s role in the global agriAs an industry, we will continue to push food system will depend on a number of for better biosecurity where there are real factors. risks that require action,” says Mike.

“Scale is critical to being an effective One of the key strengths of the avocado niche operator. Avoid being all things to industry is something many take for all people and focus on the competitive granted – water.

Water is New Zealand’s most important advantages.”

Telling the story of how, where and natural asset and primary sectors need to who produced foods - in other words the maximise it says Ian Proudfoot, head of provenance story, must be substantive, he agribusiness and lead partner, consumer says. and industrial products with KPMG. The conference certainly reinforced that “There is a real water issue in the world. the New Zealand avocado industry has a In New Zealand we have 72 million cubic metres of fresh water per person, far great product, and a great story to tell. 

Dr Mark Dreher

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Clinical research into avocado benefits yielding promising results

Avocado is a unique whole food which provides a range of essential nutrients, and clinical research supported by the Hass Avocado Board is looking at potential nutrition attributes of the fruit which go far beyond its appeal as a tasty food.

Dr Mark Dreher, who is president and chief science officer, Nutrition Science Solutions, and a nutrition research advisor to the Hass Avocado Board presented HAB’s clinical research programme and the preliminary findings to delegates of Nutritional Values.

“Avocado is a unique combination of nutrients and phytochemicals, has no cholesterol, very little sodium or sugar or trans fats and less than 1 gram of saturated fat per one ounce serving. It also provides mono-saturated fats and dietary fibre which are potentially limited in a healthy diet. It is a low glycaemic index fruit with 3 grams of total carbohydrate per one ounce serving,” said Mark.

“Avocados have one of the most diverse ranges of fat and water soluble antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, polyphenols and gluthione) 32

of any whole food.”

Seven trials conducted between 1960 and 1997 showed that eating avocados may help to promote healthy blood lipid profiles and glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, research shows that eating avocados with salads and salsas may help with nutrient absorption of carotenoids such as lycopene, carotene, or lutein by three to 15 times compared to eating salads and salsa without avocado or oil.

HAB is now conducting research on the potential role of avocados in cardiovascular health, weight management, healthy living and type 2 diabetes. These areas of study were based on the strength of existing science and potential appeal to consumers everywhere.

One of the first investigations funded was an analysis of the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Findings showed that avocado consumers had significantly higher intakes of several important nutrients compared to nonavocado consumers, and that overall, those who ate avocados, had a healthier diet.

Cardiovascular disease, says Mark, is the number one cause of death in the USA and in most developed countries.

The Hass Avocado Board commissioned a study to find out if eating one avocado a day had beneficial effects on risk factors for cardiovascular disease compared to a similar moderate fat diet without avocado,

and a low fat diet. This research is due for publication next year and preliminary findings are promising.

Another research project, also due to be published in 2014, set out to discover if eating half an avocado a day as part of an average American diet could improve blood pressure and cardiovascular health.

A study by Dr David Heber, MD, PhD, at UCLA investigated whether adding one-half of an avocado to a hamburger reduces elevation of MDA in the blood, a substance that may contribute to poor blood circulation and inflammation, compared to a burger without the avocado, in 11 healthy men. The results of this research were published in the journal Food and Function, in November 2012.

Those who ate the avocado with the patty showed significantly lower acute phase post-meal inflammatory biomarkers, related to cardiovascular health. There was no increase in triglyceride levels after the meal despite the added calories and fat from the burger.

Obesity, says Mark, is a growing global epidemic in both children and adults – 68 per cent of the US adult population is overweight or obese.

Researchers at Stanford University are investigating whether certain factors predict who will be more successful at losing weight on a low fat diet or a low carbohydrate diet that includes half an avocado per day for six months. This research is expected to be

published in 2014.

Another couple of unique research projects set out to discover if eating one Hass avocado a day would enhance healthy living and aging by helping improve vitamin A conversion and absorption status and cognitive function during aging. The first study was conducted by Dr Steven Schwartz and his team who studied the effects one avocado could have on improving the conversion of carotenes to active vitamin A and the bioavailability of other fat soluble vitamins and carotenoids when consumed with vegetables. It is anticipated that this research will be published late this year or in 2014.

The second study investigating the effects of eating approximately one Hass avocado every day on cognitive function and oxidative and inflammatory stress is underway at Tufts University. The hypothesis of the research was that the lutein and monounsaturated fat in avocado might help to protect the brain

to slow the loss of or promote enhanced cognitive function during aging.

Publication is anticipated in 2015.

Diabetes is a rapidly growing global health concern responsible for, in the US, five per cent of deaths among Hispanics and six per cent in the overall population.

In a study conducted at Loma Linda University, researchers investigated whether incorporating one-half of a Hass avocado per day to one’s diet controls hunger, blood sugar/insulin, and the amount of food eaten. This research was recently presented at the International Congress of Nutrition meeting in Spain, and is expected to be published late this year or in 2014.  Further information: • Nutrition Journal - Avocado Consumption is Associated with Better Diet Quality, Nutrient Intake and Lower Metabolic Syndrome Risk in US Adults: Results from the National Health

and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001- 2008 http://www. avocadocentral.com/avocado-nutritioncenter/nhanes-study • Food & Function: Hass Avocado Modulates Postprandial Vascular Reactivity and Postprandial Inflammatory Responses to a Hamburger Meal in Healthy Volunteers http://www.avocadocentral.com/ avocado-nutrition-center/ucla-study • Below is a link to a summary of each of HAB’s research studies (published or in progress) http://www.avocadocentral.com/assets/ pdf/Nutrition-Research-Program-Statusconsumer.pdf The organising committee for Nutritional Values thanks the Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust (AGMARDT) for making it possible to bring Dr Dreher to New Zealand to share this research with the New Zealand and Australian avocado industries.

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By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Producing improved avocado trees takes time New cultivars and root stocks may hold some of the answers to climatic and irregular bearing issues for avocado growers but they are anything but a quick fix.

Dr Zelda van Rooyen of Westfalia Technical Services, South Africa, says it takes between 20 and 25 years to bring new rootstocks and cultivars to commercial production and it will be eight years before Westfalia’s newest rootstock is ready for release.

Her advice to growers wanting to convert to a new rootstock or cultivar is to plant a minimum of 10 trees of each, have a control tree of the same age in the same orchard and evaluate the trees for six to eight years.

Such caution is required because, she says, conditions vary and not all rootstocks or cultivars perform equally well across all environments.

Currently Westfalia has 80 rootstocks awaiting field trials and more than 10 in five pre-commercial trials across South Africa.

The company also has new material from other countries in quarantine, ready to enter its research programme.

Westfalia is one of the world’s leading growers and suppliers of avocado and Westfalia Technological Services, for which Zelda works, is the largest privately funded sub-tropical research facility in the world.

It was the need to find superior rootstock which led the company into research.

“The first clonal rootstocks were imported into South Africa in the late 1970s after the avocado industry was almost crippled due to the presence of phytophthora cinnamomi root rot in the soils in the main production areas,” says Zelda.

Clonal rootstocks “The advantage of clonal rootstocks such as Duke 7 soon inspired researchers at Westfalia Fruit Estates to start their own screening and selection process and today Westfalia is one of the few institutions worldwide involved in long-term rootstock breeding, screening and evaluation.”

The attributes of South African rootstocks include their productivity, which equates to higher profitability, and their

resistance to phytophthora. Secondary attributes are the trees’ ability to tolerate salinity in the USA, water-logged conditions as in Chile, productivity under re-plant situations and cold tolerance for New Zealand. Other attributes researchers look for in rootstocks include fruit size, yield and consistency, tree health, post-harvest quality of fruit, mineral uptake by the tree and graft union compatibility.

These attributes are tested in field conditions around the world through collaboration with other researchers.

“Similarly, international agreements allow Westfalia to test new fruiting scions which help South Africa to extend its export and production season. Increasingly there is a need for a Hass-like cultivar for year-round global supply.”

Currently Dusa is the best performing rootstock.

“It out-yields other clonal rootstocks by at least 20 per cent and is sold around the world.”

Cultivars Westfalia has the worldwide rights to produce and market two new cultivars, Gem from the University of California breeding programme and Carmen from Mexico.

Cultivars also undergo stringent testing and evaluation.

“We measure the performance of cultivars in different geographical regions, looking for seasons of maturity, yield, fruit size and distribution, post-harvest fruit quality and have independent organoleptic testing (taste testing) carried out in the UK.” However, Zelda says it’s not just humans who enjoy Westfalia avocado. Snakes hippos and other wild creatures also “invade” the orchard to sample fruit from time to time.

Carmen Hass matures four weeks earlier than Hass, has out-ofseason flowers and crop with longer multiple flowering and so decreased risk from frost damage. The fruit is similar to Hass in yield, fruit size and post-harvest quality. The trees have a round, compact dense canopy as opposed to the spreading open canopy of Hass.

Gem is an attractive fruit which colours black when ripe and has prominent yellow lenticels and smooth, slightly pebbly skin. Its fruit can hang on the tree four weeks later than Hass. The trees have an up-right growth habit with low vigour so can be planted closer together.  35

By Elaine Fisher

Avocados’ folate claim set to change Avocado is one of the few primary foods able to make claims for levels of folate which may be beneficial during pregnancy, says Lisa Yates consultant dietician for the Australian Avocado Industry.

The claim that can be made for the fruit is wordy, but worthy, she says.

“Women of child bearing age need to consume at least 400 micrograms of folate per day at least the month before and three months after conception. A diet rich in folate including avocado may reduce the risk of foetal neural tube defects. Half an avocado contains 59 micrograms of folate, 15 per cent of the required amount,” says the claim approved by Food Safety Australia and New Zealand Food standards code.

However, research among Australian doctors found that 64 per cent didn’t think avocado was an important source of folate and 29 per cent didn’t know the fruit contained folate.

Questions asked at a dieticians’ conference in May 2013 showed they know green leafy vegetables are a source of folate, but few knew avocados are as well.

“In fact, avocado is the other green vegetable that contains folate, but tastes better. Avocado is important for mums and bubs and avocado is a great first food for babies since low fat diets are not suitable for under-twos.”

However, Lisa says in January 2013 FSANZ gazetted a new standard for high level health claims for neural tube defects, changing the word folate to folic acid.

“Avocados will no longer be able to make the claim after January 2016 so we need to raise the awareness of folate in avocado now.

After January 2016 we can use the general level health claim around the importance of folate during pregnancy.”

To help raise awareness of the health benefits of avocado, Australian Avocados has organised a number of events and trade exhibits aimed at fitness professionals, doctors and dieticians, who have the ability to influence the diets of their clients. A survey before and after the events showed those professionals had a better understanding of the benefits of avocados, including that they can be part of a weight loss diet.

The “Daily Spread” blog on the Australian Avocado website covers a range of weekly topics, and more scientific-based blogs for health professionals are also posted. A review of toddler snacks available in supermarkets with nutritional analysis and showing why avocado is the better snack received wide attention from a group Lisa calls “mummy” bloggers, women who have regular blogs online which attract a strong following.  36

By Elaine Fisher Journalist elaine@thesun.co.nz

Water availability, quality major issue for Californian growers Roughly the equivalent of the Bay of Plenty’s annual rainfall is used to irrigate each hectare of California avocado orchards, at a cost of up to $1.03 per cubic metre, Dr Jonathan Dixon, former research programme director for the Californian Avocado Commission says.

effective grower education, increased average per acre production, achieving and sustaining industry critical mass and maintain a premium quality product,” says Jonathan.

Of the research budget, 36 per cent goes on pests and disease, 35 per cent on plant breeding, 18 per cent on productivity and 11 per cent on quality.

“And it’s not good water. Salinity and chlorides in water is high, with many leaves testing over 0.25 per cent chloride.

As a rule of thumb, leaf chloride is about reduced yield and levels of 0.61 per cent chloride, will equal a yield drop of 61 per cent.”

Water costs and salinity are the biggest issues for California growers, who use on average 10,970 to 12,800 cubic meters of water per hectare.

California has a formula called acre-feet to calculate water use which equates to 1,233.5 cubic metres and at 3.6 to 4.2 acre feet per year, per acre, that costs between $3,600 and $5,040.

Poor water quality is just one issue facing the industry in which most orchards are small family farms.

The commission, which works on the growers’ behalf, has a research budget of $1 million to $1.4 million annually from a total budget of $14 million to $17 million.

“Strong direction is needed to make the most of the research spend and the strategic approach set by the commission board has as its imperatives, grower driven research on management systems,

The California Avocado industry:

Pests Since 2001, thanks to research, the costs of pest control have decreased by $169 per hectare. However, new pests and diseases are being identified

20-23,000 hectares 4,500 - 5,000 growers 21 - 45 million trays On the week of July 14, 2013 $US 17 - $US 18 per tray 24 count fruit 1.6 million trays weekly supplied from California 2.8 million trays weekly supply in the USA Total market 100 million trays CAC levy about 1.7 per cent of sale price including the polyphagous shot hole borers, which are a very small ambrosia beetle, wide spread in avocado orchards in Israel and common in the LA county.

“It attacks a wide range of trees, including New Zealand and Australian natives. We don’t know how bad it will be on avocados yet, but have a very active research programme to find out.”

Sustainable mite and thrips control is another aspect of research. The first signs of resistance to the product Abaectin, used in California for 14 years, are showing up in persea mites and avocado thrips.

“A very successful research programme has registered 17 new chemicals, most with different chemistry, in the past 10 years. The commission is funding a five year project to investigate the mechanism of resistance and to get growers to rotate chemicals use to prevent resistance.”

Research into consistent production is also underway and Jonathan says a number of ideas are being investigated.

These include that the amount of fruit set in one year depends on how many shoots did not bear fruit in the previous year; whether or not the length of time fruit is held on the tree causes greater reduction in flowering in spring, and if flowers that are on the tree in the off-flowering year, don’t break and develop: if mitigating alternate bearing may require fruit thinning and the use of plant growth regulators.

Research is of no real value if growers don’t have the opportunity to use the information, Jonathan says.

To ensure they do, the commission has integrated outreach activity with research. It is taking a larger role itself by leasing 11 acres of demonstration orchard and started an industry magazine (based on those of the New Zealand and Australian industries) and created small grower discussion groups.

A new website has been launched and research projects are aimed at delivering web tools which will predict yield, alternate bearing, effects of salinity and the economics of growing avocados.

“These models will be validated by as much independent data as possible.”  37

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2013 NZAGA & AIC AGM: Delivering on the Five Year Plan The industry’s performance against its objectives was highlighted at the 2013 NZAGA and AIC Annual General Meeting held at the ASB Arena in Tauranga on September 10.

“We do test that we are adding value,” said NZ Avocado CEO Jen Scoular.

“We do look at the activities, the objectives and then the achievements and measure those against the costs of that activity. Over the past year I believe our achievements are very positive.”

The slide below shows a summary of the high level objectives and the positive activity that occurred in the last financial year towards the achievement of these.

Summary of Voting Results BOARD MOTIONS MOTION 1: That the levy rate for avocado fruit sold into the export market be set at 35c per 5.5 kg trays for the period 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2015.

Achievements

MOTION 2: That the Levy rate for avocado fruit sold into the domestic market be set at 3% for the period 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2015.

Moved: A Whitehead Seconded: T Ponder Results for Motion 2: passed FOR by a show of hands

“We have developed, with collaboration from Plant & Food Research, an R&D programme for the coming five years. Plant & Food Research was successful in a bid to the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment for an investment of $4.5 million into R&D in avocados, being $4 million from the government and a $100,000 commitment annually from NZAGA for the five years of the programme.”

Of exceptional note was the performance of the local market with a record value of $28.7m, an impressive 32% higher than ever before.

“This has come from a real focus on the New Zealand market, a specific project seeking to identify and address issues and strong cross-industry collaboration, with regular meetings of local marketers, forecasting of volumes and sharing of information and ways we can collectively drive up value in this market.

“Consumption on New Zealand has increased, driven by the strong public relations campaign we have implemented. We continue to believe public relations is the most effective way to drive visibility, sales and consumption and the results in 201213 suggest it is working. Nadia Lim, our avocado ambassador, has made a big impact across print media and her presence now on TV continues to support avocados very strongly.”

Relationships are also an important factor to the successes achieved “We achieved access for New Zealand avocados to India, with strong support from The Ministry for Primary Industries who we continue to work closely with for access to China.

“We have renewed our commodity levy for six years and I believe relationships across the industry are stronger and more able to achieve the sustainable, profitable industry we all seek.”

Commodity Levy Commodity Levy – Promotions TOTAL

15c 20c 35c

Moved: A Whitehead Seconded: T Ponder Results for Motion 1: passed FOR by a show of hands

MOTION 3: That growers support the consultation and approval process for NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. to partner with the government under the Government Industry Agreement and Operational Agreements.

The consultation process will include: • That final documents for industry signature are shared with growers via the NZ Avocado website • That Growers are informed that the documents are available at least one month prior to consultation roadshows • That the Chair and CEO host GIA roadshows to consult with growers and answer questions from growers • Following the roadshows a postal ballot would be conducted seeking grower support to enter into the GIA and Operational Agreements.

Moved: A Whitehead Seconded: J Schnackenberg Results for Motion 3: passed FOR by a show of hands MEMBER REMITS REMIT 1: That the budget for local market avocado promotion be increased, the extra money to be used for promoting demand for the fruit when stocks build up in the supply chain.

Moved: Murray Pease Seconded: Bryan Cheshire This remit went to ballot.

Results for Remit 1: 216 votes FOR 961 votes AGAINST REMIT 2: That in order for the “Letters to the Editor” section in Avoscene magazine to be a viable forum for honest and robust debate amongst growers, the AGA adopt an editorial policy consistent with the NZ Press Council standards.

Moved: Murray Pease Seconded: Bryan Cheshire Results for Remit 2: passed FOR by a show of hands Signed: Returning Officer: 39

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2013 Avocado Awards Avocado awards were announced at the NZAGA and AIC AGM in September for the following deserving recipients. The awards are given annually and decided upon based on nominations from the industry and consideration by the NZAGA Awards Committee.

We recognise and congratulate Leonie Batt and Henry Pak for their contributions to the industry.

Leonie Batt - Whangarei After the passing of her husband in 1974, Leonie was determined to keep farming, so she decided to take a risk by diversifying into avocados in the early 1980s. This was to boost the profitability of the farm so she was not reliant on off-farm income.

The avocado orchard has gradually been developed to where it now covers more than 5ha within a 70ha farm. Leonie also finishes beef cattle, running the farm with the help of two part-timers – one aged 76 and the other 86. They call themselves ‘the three oldies’. They believe it beats going to the gym plus earns them all an income.

Leonie’s daughter and son-in-law also help when needed.

Leonie’s passion for avocados led to her being elected in 1999 to the NZAGA Executive as a Whangarei representative and she remained on the executive until mid 2003.

An exceptionally strong supporter and advocate of the industry, Leonie has always

been keen to better her understanding and knowledge of growing avocados.

She has always attended every field day, every avocado conference and every world congress. Keeping an open mind, she reads a lot of avocado research and uses it to make important decisions for her orchard and has been very successful.

Leonie is an astute grower and her orchard has very regular production.

Leonie has been happy to share her knowledge by hosting many a field day on her orchard.

While Leonie’s property is largely flat, it also features a ravine that runs down to the Ngunguru River. This area is home to some very old trees and has been fenced off for their protection. Leonie has also fenced other waterways and has been ringfencing areas of native bush since 1975.

Winning the Harvest Award in the 2007 Ballance Farm Environment Awards provided welcome recognition for her avocado work, and also for her passion for native bush.

The NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. recognises and acknowledges Leonie Batt’s stalwart and enthusiastic support of the New Zealand avocado industry and honours her as a recipient of the New Zealand Avocado Award.

Henry Pak - Tauranga After experiencing two years of issues in the USA market, Henry was employed in April 2000 by the Avocado Industry Council to identify the quality issues and implement a defined, robust and auditable compliance system.

In 2006-07 the industry was challenged with Avocado Scab. Henry’s historic knowledge that the cultures had been preserved proved invaluable. They were retrieved and tested for minimal cost and demonstrated not to be Avocado Scab.

Henry’s strategic handling of the situation, his key relationships with Plant & Food Research scientists and their professional respect for Henry’s knowledge effected this result.

In 1999 Avocado Sunblotch Viroid was found in New Zealand and the project to deal with it was worked on from 2001 to 2009. It had the potential to hurt the industry; access to the Australian market was under threat. Henry worked with MAF Biosecurity (now MPI), keeping the focus on the technical issues and the desired outcomes for the avocado industry by a reasoned and pragmatic stepped approach. The situation went from a proposed $64m cost to less than $1m actual cost to the industry with Avocado Sunblotch Viroid removed from the pest list, along with the implied market restrictions.

In 2009 the industry was also challenged in the USA by Light Brown Apple Moth.

Henry was able to demonstrate to the USDA that AIC could be trusted to integrate complex phytosanitary issues within its quality system.

Henry worked hard to secure research grants from government and other agencies to forward fruit quality, pathology and entomology before they could become barriers to development of the industry.

Sometimes hard decisions were made for the good of the industry as a whole and Henry was unswayable from industry private interest. He handled the resulting criticism well and was equal in his management ethics with all parties.

Henry is a unique individual in that he is not just a scientist but has an excellent understanding of developing and implementing research within a strategic framework.

The NZ Avocado Growers’ Association recognises and acknowledges Henry Pak’s dedication and passion for the New Zealand avocado industry and honours him as a recipient of the New Zealand Avocado Award.  41

Industry

42

News 2013 elections for grower representatives The 2013 elections for grower representatives to the NZ Avocado Growers’ Association Inc. Executive Committee and the Board of the Avocado Industry Council Limited have now concluded.

Following the call for nominations in the Far North and Mid North regions and the subsequent nomination of only one nominee for each area, the following were appointed to the AGA Executive and AIC Board directly: • Ian Fulton for Far North • Sue Culham for Mid North For the At Large region, two nominations were received which resulted in an election.

The results of the election are: Votes

Roger Barber

Quinton Lankshear

Ordinary

183

129

Levy

1332

893

Total

1515

1022

Rank

1

2

A full list of AGA Executive members for 2013-14 and their profiles can be found on the industry website under: ABOUT > BOARD > BOARD MEMBERS Avocado thefts reported We have received numerous reports of recent avocado theft from orchards in the Bay of Plenty, in particular around Te Puke and east of Te Puke.

Growers in all regions are reminded to be extra vigilant as the frequency of these thefts has increased as the season progresses.

We are in contact with local police and have alerted local marketers and distributors to help ensure that any suspicious or unusual activity is reported.

New Zealand Police recommend the following: • Be extra vigilant and take steps to prevent theft, including increasing security around your orchard.

• If you witness any suspicious behaviour, contact your neighbouring orchards to ensure others are also keeping a look out.

If a theft takes place the New Zealand Police encourage reporting in all instances.

• If witnessed at the time of theft, call the Police emergency line, 111, immediately.

Try to take as many details as you can of

the thieves including their appearance and any vehicles and vehicle registration numbers etc.

• If you discover fruit has been stolen but you did not witness the theft, contact your local police station.

• If you have had fruit stolen recently but have not yet reported it, contact your local police station and they will direct you to the Crime Reporting Line.

If you are approached by anyone trying to sell car boot loads of avocados, take a description of the person and their vehicle registration and report the activity to your local police station.

Export registration reminder Please ensure you register for export at least three working days before your intended pick date to ensure your registration is verified and processed in time.

To become registered for export you must: • Be AvoGreen compliant from 1 November 2012 • Complete the online registration form • Pay in full • Have any changes you have made to your details verified by NZ Avocado staff To register for export phone Sheryl, 0800 286 2236, or register online at: http:// industry.nzavocado.co.nz/industry/export_ registration.csn Avogreen® Compliance AvoGreen is a responsible and auditable avocado production system which uses IPM principles to ensure pesticides are only used when necessary. AvoGreen is an export requirement as it means our exporters can give formal assurance to their increasingly discerning offshore customers that avocados from New Zealand have been grown in a responsible way.

All growers intending to export avocados from New Zealand must be AvoGreen compliant by 1 November in the season preceding intended harvest. For example, if you wish to export fruit for the 2013-14 season you will need to have been AvoGreen compliant from 1 November 2012.

We are working with growers to strengthen our compliance in this area and in the light of recent experiences in the dairy industry we believe that AvoGreen is an important thread in the Quality Management and IPM systems of our industry.

Spray use We ask growers to make themselves familiar with the list of chemicals that are approved for use on avocados and to always follow the recommendations on the label.

Grower letters in Avoscene If you wish express a view or ask a question that you would like other growers to read in Avoscene then please contact us.

Please be aware that we may not be able to print every letter due to space constraints.

Letters must be 300 words or less. Letters exceeding this limit may be abridged or may be refused.

Letters must be in good taste and focus on issues of general concern, not personalities.

Letters must contain a name, address and daytime phone number of the author.

Unsigned letters or those submitted without a phone number will not be considered.

Regular contributors should submit letters on varied subjects. Letters by the same author that reiterate opinions previously expressed will not be published.

NZ Avocado reserves the right to edit or not publish material which may offend readers.

Press Council Principles footnote on letters to the editor: Selection and treatment of letters for publication are the prerogative of editors who are to be guided by fairness, balance, and public interest in the correspondents’ views. Abridgement is acceptable but should not distort meaning.

Forward your letter to avoscene@ nzavocado.co.nz or fax to 07 571 6145 or you can post to NZ Avocado, PO BOX 13267, Tauranga 3141.

Glenys Parton acting Technical Manager Glenys Parton has been appointed acting Technical Manager following the resignation of Henry Pak. Glenys has been with the industry for two years. She comes from a strong R&D and systems background with her experience at Ruakura in dairy and agriculture. Glenys is well suited to covering this role which includes managing the following processes: • Dispensations • Quality • Residues • GIA 43

Industry news

Successful M boost to avo

44

MBIE bid gives $4m research ocado industry The avocado industry will benefit hugely from a $4m of Government investment into research. This exciting development comes after a successful bid was made

by Plant & Food Research, in collaboration with NZ Avocado, to the Ministry of Business innovation and Employment’s 2013 Science Investment Round.

The announcement from Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce will see investment over the next five years into the Plant & Food Research project Avocados for export which aims to double New Zealand’s average avocado yield, overcome irregular fruit bearing and introduce new storage and shipping systems to export increased volumes of fruit.

“This is very exciting news for the avocado industry and will contribute significantly to delivery of our five year plan which aims to develop value returning markets through delivering a consistent supply of high quality fruit,” says Jen Scoular, CEO of New Zealand Avocado.

The project will investigate causes of the industry’s biggest challenge; irregular bearing, and the role dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage can play in extending the supply window.

“New Zealand Avocado has developed a five year plan and as part of this we identified the need to seek partners and work collaboratively to deliver the outcomes.

The MBIE bid process has been a team effort between New Zealand Avocado and Plant and Food Research. I thank all parties for the efforts that have resulted in this excellent outcome,” says Jen. Dr Derek Wilson, general manager of science - sustainable production for Plant & Food Research shares the avocado industry’s aim to work collaboratively.

“We are very pleased to have partnered with the New Zealand avocado industry to get a new science programme up and

running to address irregular bearing and storage issues. We have entered a new environment in R&D where partnerships between Plant & Food Research, Government and industry see us work hand in hand with industry, with real focus on delivery of outcomes to meet the needs of that industry,” says Derek.

MBIE’s Science, Skills and Innovation Group’s deputy chief executive Paul Stocks was impressed by the high calibre of the successful proposals and the diverse range of topics they covered.

“The research programmes outlined in the proposals are really exciting and they cover such a wide range of topics – from protecting our native forests from devastating plant diseases to assessing how downsizing in housing impacts on the independence of older adults.”

Paul says all of the proposals went through a robust assessment process, which included review by independent experts. The successful proposals were selected by MBIE’s Science Board based on their scientific merit and potential benefit to New Zealanders.

“The Avocados for export bid is a great R&D programme but its success lies also in the very strong value proposition outlined for the New Zealand avocado industry,” says Derek.

“In addition to MBIE’s funding of $800k per annum, or $4m over five years, New Zealand Avocado will contribute $100k of grower funds per annum. This means over the five years $4.5m will be spent on new research for the avocado industry,” says Jen. New Zealand Avocado is also supporting another successful bid from Plant & Food Research, a cross-sector project seeking optimisation of pollination; From bee minus to bee plus and beyond.

Public Statement on MBIE Bid: Avocado is an emerging export fruit sector for New Zealand. It is has a strong industry organisation with a clear vision to triple sales by 2020. The proposition is to transform the industry, which is currently reliant on a single export market, to a globally competitive, high value,

“The Avocados for export bid is a great R&D programme but its success lies also in the very strong value proposition outlined for the New Zealand avocado industry,” sustainable export industry.

Critical factors identified by industry as needed to achieve this vision include providing growers with the tools to ensure they produce consistently high yields of fruit and providing exporters with new storage and shipping technologies to export these fruit to near and distant markets. Irregular bearing is a feature of all avocado industries and is a key contributor to overall low orchard productivity.

The research will investigate causes of irregular bearing by examining the roles of temperature and light on yield and testing the hypothesis that crop load determines the rate of return bloom. A paradigm shift in orchard management will be proposed to move the industry away from large trees over 12 m tall of a single cultivar to more efficient small-tree orchard systems based on new cultivars with trees less than 3.0 m tall. An efficient export supply chain supplying high quality fruit is an integral part of achieving sustained industry growth.

To manage the increased volumes of fruit predicted from industry, research will investigate parameters needed to move the industry from the current ‘pick and ship’ supply chain to a ‘pick, hold and ship’ system using dynamic controlled atmosphere (DCA) storage.

The target outcome is for fruit to be supplied “out of inventory” to export markets over an extended supply window, with new shipping conditions to ensure the fruit reach these new markets in prime condition.

Successful implementation of the research will create significant new employment opportunities, especially in areas with high unemployment such as Northland, Gisborne and Bay of Plenty.  45

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Industry news

New research shows you can enhance your life by eating avocado every day Health conscious Kiwis and foodies alike now have even more reason to celebrate the arrival of the New Zealand avocado season - latest research proves they can make a vast improvement to overall health and wellbeing.

As well as being a delicious addition to many meals, avocados are one of the most nutritionally complete foods in the world and new international research published in the Nutrition Journal* shows that people who regularly eat them weigh 3.4 kilograms less on average and have waistlines around four centimetres smaller, than those who don’t.

Avocado consumers also have significantly lower BMIs than non-consumers; significantly higher intakes of important nutrients (such as fibre, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium and vitamin K), plus more good fats and a lower intake of added sugars.

The findings of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States, published in the Nutrition Journal, proved eating avocado every day boosted people’s HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels and resulted in a 50 per cent less chance of metabolic syndrome (a group of risk factors that occur together and increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke, and type-2 diabetes).

Qualified dietician and nutritionist Nadia Lim is the official New Zealand Avocado ambassador and was a guest presenter at the recent New Zealand and Australian Avocado Growers’

Conference, held in Tauranga. Nadia says avocados are a perfect health conscious option for healthy, vibrant people who desire nutritious food that contributes positively to their overall health.

“Avocados are a perfect food – they’re abundant in valuable vitamins and minerals, as well as healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates. Nutritionists have long recommended consuming the healthy fats from avocados which are known to support improved overall diet quality, nutrient intake and heart health,” says Nadia.

New Zealand Avocado CEO Jen Scoular says avocados are incredibly nutritious and nourishing for the body and soul.

“If you like to get the most out of life then you should definitely include an avocado in your diet every day.

“As part of a healthy, balanced diet, avocados are proving themselves time and again as a food that can help us all live healthier lives. This new research reinforces the importance of the food’s role in our everyday diet,” says Jen. The American-based Hass Avocado Board (HAB) is continuing to invest millions of dollars in nutrition research on Hass Avocado – a fund which the New Zealand avocado industry has long contributed to – and has engaged top researchers and institutions to further investigate the fruit’s health potential.

HAB established a nutrition research programme in 2010 to increase awareness and improve understanding of the unique benefits of avocados to human health and nutrition. The four research pillars are heart health, weight management, diabetes and healthy living.  *To read the overview from Nutrition Journal: http://www. avocadocentral.com/avocado-nutrition-center/nhanes-study

Make sure you book your advertising space for the next issue of Avoscene due out in December.

Contact Rose Hodges on 07 928 3043 or rose@thesun.co.nz.

Booking deadline is November 22nd, 2013.

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Avocado news Rains delay Mexican avocados 25.09.2013: Heavy rains in Mexico have delayed avocado shipments, but October should bring big increases in volume.

Heavy mid-September rains were delaying shipments from Mexico’s Michoacan growing area, strengthening markets, given scant supplies from other growing regions, said Bob Lucy, partner in Fallbrook, Calif.based Del Rey Avocado Inc. “The past two weeks it’s been real tight, particularly last week,” he said Sept. 23.

On Sept. 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported prices of $44.2545.25 for two-layer cartons of hass 48s from California, up from $26.25-27.25 last year at the same time.

But the rains, while delaying shipments,

are not expected to significantly affect volumes or quality, Lucy said. And once pickers can get into groves, the deal should ramp up quickly, he said.

The storms in Mexico knocked out bridges and other infrastructure, but Lucy hasn’t heard of any major infrastructure damage that would affect avocado exports.

Mexican volumes should start to ramp up significantly the week of Sept. 30, said Rob Wedin, vice president of sales and marketing with Santa Paula, Calif.-based Calavo Growers Inc. In the short term, there will likely be some scarring on fruit from Mexico, Wedin said. But in the long term, all that extra moisture should mean good quality and big sizes.

And the rains should help both Californian and Mexican growers enjoy strong markets, he said.

“In some ways, the timing is great. They don’t have to compete with each other too much.”

Growers on California’s northern coast who were still shipping in late September will appreciate that, after sluggish markets in several recent years, Wedin said.

“It’s an opportunity for them to make some profits and keep those groves going.”

Markets, which were “abnormally high” in the second half of September, will eventually weaken, but it will take awhile, particularly since it could be the week of Oct. 7 before Mexico begins to return to normal, said Ken Vida, salesman for

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from the world Fullerton, Calif.-based Interfresh Inc. “California’s the only option right now,” Vida said Sept. 24. “Historically, it should be Mexico, but it’s not happening.”

Even when Mexican volumes do ramp up, the market could stay strong.

“There’s a great market opportunity now if they control their production,” Vida said.

The 2013 California season was rapidly winding down in late September for Del Rey, Lucy said.

Source: http://www.thepacker.com/ fruit-vegetable-news/Rains-delay-Mexicanavocados-225230832.html Scientists seek to improve the Mexican avocado 24.09.2013: The Mexican avocado production represents more than 30 percent of the global harvest according to data from the Food and Fisheries Information Service (SIAP), an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (Sagarpa).

There are five major producing states: Michoacan, which contributes with 86 percent of the total national production, followed by the States of Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit and Puebla. The countries that buy Mexican avocados the most are France, Canada, Japan and the USA. However, as with many crops, avocado is facing the drought and erosion of large amounts of forests due to the increase in its demand.

Large-scale cultivation of avocados in Mexico began in the late 70s. The problem is that, as acreage increases, so does water consumption for the crops and logically, there is a loss of natural forests.

According to Dr. Claudia Anahi Perez, who heads the technology platform for the genetic improvement of avocado, this project aims to develop varieties which have a bigger resistant to a lack of water, have more fatty acids and come from smaller trees so as to facilitate obtaining the fruit since the avocado tree can be

up to 20 or 30 feet high, which makes harvesting difficult for producers.

In an interview with Notimex, the researcher of the National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), explained that the project aims to generate more efficient plants in water use, given that there is less water due to climate change, and avocados requires rainfall regimes of 1000-2000 millimetres to grow.

“We seek to generate species that use less water without affecting their productivity and whose fruits contain a higher content of fatty acids because they are what give them that quality in taste and help us market them to obtain fatty acids, cosmetics and industrial uses,” he said.

Source: http://www.freshplaza.com/ article/113409/Scientists-seek-to-improvethe-Mexican-avocado#SlideFrame_1 Avozilla: world’s largest avocado goes on sale 30.08.2013: South African fruit five times bigger than average avocado will be sold for £3 at Tesco.

It is a dilemma that has frustrated middle-class families for years: how many avocados are needed to make the perfect batch of guacamole to feed a hungry brood?

But Tesco has come to the rescue and will start to sell what it claims is the world’s largest avocado, nicknamed the Avozilla.

Weighing an impressive 1.3kg, the South-African-grown fruit, a vivid green colour, is five times bigger than an average avocado. Tesco described the fruit as extremely rare and said it came from just four trees grown by one of the world’s biggest suppliers of avocados. They will be priced at £3 each.

Sales of avocados across Europe have grown in recent years with 240,000 tonnes shipped to the region last year, an increase of 9% on 2011.

Derek Donkin, chief executive of the South African Avocado Growers Association, said: “Commercial demand is growing rapidly in Europe and despite the

downturn, supply has increased.

“They are highly nutritious and high in monounsaturated fats which are the good fats which reduce cholesterol. They are high in potassium, higher than bananas, and it’s not just a salad item – you can make anything from avocado cheesecakes to ice creams.” The avocado was first cultivated by the Aztecs, but is now grown in several subtropical countries with the UK supplied mainly from Peru, Israel, South Africa, Chile and Spain.

Lucy Harwood, brand manager for the Latin American restaurant chain Las Iguanas, said guacamole was its best-selling starter.

She added: “Our sales of our Holy Guacamole have been growing and growing, and we now sell more than 300,000 portions each year.

“Mexican food, which has rocketed over the past few years, has been fuelled by an appreciation of the freshness and quality of the cuisine when done properly – guacamole being a perfect example of great ingredients coming together to give wonderful flavours.”

Tesco’s decision to sell the Avozilla is not the first time the UK’s biggest supermarket has stocked giant fruit.

Last Christmas giant brussels sprouts the size of snooker balls were sold, while giant melons, pineapples and pomegranates have all adorned the shelves. In 2004 Tesco introduced giant strawberries called Scarlett Johanssons.

Tesco’s salad buyer Emma Bonny said: “We believe the Avozilla will appeal to shoppers who are looking for value for money, but especially large families.

“The Avozilla has a fantastic taste with a rich, juicy, buttery texture, and creamy flavour.

“The ripe fruit is an attractive vivid green colour – different from the darker coloured, smaller variety – and its thick skin can actually be used as a serving bowl for guacamole.”

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/ lifeandstyle/2013/aug/30/avozilla-worldlargest-avocado-sale 49

ith avocado lovers New Zealand Avocado has a strategic objective to maximise value for the New Zealand industry. We aim to achieve this through undertaking activities that will optimise the position of New Zealand avocados in our markets.

Investment in raising the profile of avocados and educating consumers on their uses and benefits is essential to increasing value in the industry.

Connecting with existing and potential avocado lovers underpins our promotional activity. These groups of consumers stay loyal to avocado through price increases, there is greater likelihood of increasing their consumption and they are ambassadors for the product.

This season New Zealand growers will export an estimated 2.6m trays offshore and market a further 1.6m here in New Zealand.

Australia In previous years, we have collaborated with Horticulture Australia and Avocados Australia to continue the implementation of their marketing material and messaging strategy, this season our exporters are investing $400,000 in produce manager training, consumer promotions and quality assessment and assurance.

Singapore and South Korea Singapore and Korea are emerging markets. We are currently conducting consumer research in both these countries to define our target audience, how best to reach them and with what messages.

We are also using social media to connect with Koreans and have held focus groups with Koreans living in New Zealand to understand

more about their perceptions of avocado.

Japan This coming season we are forecast to send 7% of the export crop to Japan.

We will strengthen our social networking activity in Japan, have further interaction with media and influencers and start honing in on what appeals to our target audience.

Research has shown that potential avocado lovers in Japan are attracted to them because of their perceived antiaging and health benefits and specifically for New Zealand avocados, their assurance of food safety.

We want to ensure that a strong connection is made between these benefits and avocados from New Zealand.

Asia-wide An exciting development for our promotions in Asia is our involvement with the New Zealand produced TV programme “New Zealand with Nadia” which will be presented by our NZ Avocado Ambassador Nadia Lim. This show will air on the Asian Food Channel in a prime time slot across Asia and the series will be repeated up to six times over two years from 2014.

The series will follow Nadia as she road trips through New Zealand discovering, sampling and cooking with products iconic to the region she is visiting.

The Bay of Plenty episode will feature avocados, and other avocado products.

Nadia will visit two Bay of Plenty orchards, meet the growers and get across key messages about handling, use, nutrition and our safe growing systems.

Filming for this series will begin later this year.

New Zealand Over the last two seasons we have run an extensive public relations campaign feeding media and influencers a steady diet of avocado information. We are using a public relations strategy because it is good bang for buck.

The campaign last year provided growers with 30 times more media coverage than the equivalent spend on an advertising campaign would have provided.

By Midge Munro NZ Avocado Communications Manager mmunro@nzavocado.co.nz

Nationwide coverage on TV, radio, print, online and at events ensured that the grower investment was maximised.

Last season showed us that a record value for the New Zealand market can be achieved using this approach In terms of consumer behaviour in New Zealand, avocado lovers account for 31.5% of avocado buyers and they contribute 70% of the category value.

These loyal avocado lovers are our target audience; they are the high income, older singles and couples. We need to focus on increasing the purchase frequency and quantity of this group to drive further growth.

Our messaging is evolving from choosing and using to health benefits and enhancing lifestyle. The theme for this season’s promotion is “Enhance your life everyday with avocado.”

The promotions budget and plan was developed based on outcomes from previous years’ promotions and consultation with the New Zealand market forum.

We will continue to raise the visibility of avocados and educate New Zealand consumers on their uses and health benefits through connecting with influential New Zealanders and increasing our social networks and utilising key partnerships.

Cook and dietician Nadia Lim is again on board with the industry as the NZ Avocado Ambassador, adding credibility and flair to our public relations efforts.

Activity progress: • Key messages for season created.

• Season media launch kits sent to 30 popular women’s and foodie magazines plus influential personalities.

• Season media launch information and key messages sent to all New Zealand marketers.

• Re-engaging with Facebook fans through competitions to give away Nadia Lim’s cookbook and avocados.

Our strong relationship with key endorsers has provided exciting opportunities for the industry. We have recently committed funding to be the premium food sponsor of a high profile cooking show that we anticipate will air in New Zealand in 2014.  51