Avocado prices in Aust, halved

Press, 21 January 1984, Page 21

Avocado prices in Aust, halved

PA Tauranga New Zealand avocado prices on the Australian market have been halved this season.

Increased supplies from both sides of the Tasman are drastically reducing summer prices.

Last year, New Zealand exported 19,000 trays to Australia between December and February. This year the export is likely to exceed 30,000 trays. Mr Douglas Hammonds, marketing officer for Turners and Growers Exports, Ltd, said that last season New Zealand growers received top prices of more than $4O a tray. The year before top prices exceeded $6O. This season

growers’ returns are now approaching $25. “The returns correspond to the supplies reaching the markets,” he said. “On the Brisbane market, supplies are three times as much as this time last year and on the other markets there is twice as much fruit. “The high summer prices of past years have been a huge incentive to Australian growers to supply ripe fruit at this time,” Mr Hammonds said.

“They have found small pockets that will produce fruit in summer. The Mount Tambourine district for example has a later supply. In other areas they are just starting to pick Hass, the variety we are supplying.”