Mexico, Peru and Chile are large scale exporters of avocados. They have set their sights on selling into the Australian market, threatening New Zealand's exclusive access to this lucrative market. Australia is New Zealand's number one market for avocados, worth $88 million in sales in the 2017-18 year. Total exports were $105 million.
They also want to sell into New Zealand but it could take some years and would not necessarily result in cheaper avocados, Avocados NZ chief executive Jen Scoular said. "The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) would have to draw up an import health standard and it would have to go through a full risk analysis of pests and diseases. It took us four years to get access into China."
Mexico grows about 45 percent of export supply, with Chile and Peru together furnish a further 20 percent.
Scoular said while Australia was New Zealand's largest export market, it had been expanding into Asia as an insurance against losing exclusive access, and also because of the growth in Australia's own domestic supply.
Source: stuff.co.nz
