Australian avocado season are getting set for a 95,000-ton record. They are expected to produce a record harvest of the Hass variety this year. The industry is looking at 8 million more kilograms of avocados for supermarket shelves this season compared to last year. That's a 9 per cent increase from 87,000 tonnes to 95,000 tonnes (April 2019 - March 2020).
It comes in part due to mass plantings over the past five to six years to meet Australian demand. Avocados Australia chief executive officer, John Tyas, said the influx is a healthy sign of industry expansion: "It takes about three or four years for an avocado tree to start bearing commercial crops and a lot of avocado trees have gone into the ground in the last five years, particularly in Queensland and WA, to keep up with the insatiable demand for avocados we have in Australia.”
"This season, we're looking at a bumper Hass harvest from our growing regions in Western Australia as well as South Australia, Victoria and western NSW. There are also large supplies coming out of north and central Queensland now, and New Zealand later on in the season."
Known for their purple skin and creamy texture, new season Hass avocados have been prominent since early May, replacing the green-skinned Shepard avocados, which have been the only avocado available to shoppers since late February.
Source: goodfruitandvegetables.com.au
