Avocado supplies in Australia have soared as farmers planted significantly more trees in recent years in response to strong consumer demand for the crop,which can grow all year round in Australia. Many of those new plantings are only just now coming to fruition amid almost perfect conditions across the country,Tyas added.
Western Australia is likely to post a state record for the upcoming avocado crop this year,while the country is poised to produce around 170,000 tonnes of avocados in 2026,almost double the amount in 2020,according to Avocados Australia.
That surge in production comes at the same time as the pandemic,which has seen the nation impose some of the toughest and longest lockdown measures in the world. Despite a ramped-up nationwide advertising campaign to get Australians to eat more avocados,consumption has suffered due to the closures of restaurants and cafés,which accounts for some 20 per cent of the overall avocado market,Tyas said.
Some of the nation’s avocados are finding their way to Asian markets including Singapore,Malaysia,Japan and Hong Kong,where demand for healthy foods is soaring thanks in part to the pandemic. The drop in prices is also making Australian exports more attractive.
While the sharp drop in prices has been a cause for celebration for consumers,things have been so dire for producers that some farmers say they want to exit the industry altogether due to the likelihood of the glut continuing into the future. Many growers are supplying at cost or below cost of production.