The Australian avocado season is just finishing in Northern Queensland, with Central Queensland half way through and South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales part way through. The national volume is holding steady at 200 000 to 220 000 trays per week, according to John Tyas, CEO of Avocados Australia. “The East Coast started a little slower, after we had a very large Western Australia crop this spring and summer,” he adds. Fruit quality has held up well, according to him.
Avocados Australia Chairman and North Queensland grower Jim Kochi says the crop yield was slightly lower than forecast due cooler Spring months. “This interfered with the flower-set in both the shepard and hass varieties,” he says. The long, hot, dry Summer (November to February) reduced the size of the avocado fruit, and number of trays. Eating quality was still high, however. “The positive is that the dry Summer months produced high quality fruit and a significant reduction in post-harvest fruit diseases,” adds Mr Kochi
Consumer education key to quality
Keeping avocado quality consistent throughout the year is something the industry is working hard on, and quality issues right along the supply chain are being addressed, Mr Tyas confirms. “We know from past experience that not only can we have quality problems in an over supplied market, we can also have problems with an under supplied market.” Short supply, expensive fruit and excessive handling have all caused issues. Avocados Australia is working with retailers, and delivering education and training at stores in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth through a project funded from grower levies via Horticulture Innovation Australia to improve quality.
Point of sale material on selection, ripening and storage has also been produced, however there is still a long way to go before shoppers stop damaging the fruit, Mr Tyas says. “Research undertaken a few years ago showed that consumers are unlikely to stop squeezing the fruit to determine ripeness. Consumers just don’t know how much damage they’re doing,” he said. “If they just press gently at the stem end they will do much less damage – its about education.” If fruit is sorted by ripeness level and ripe fruit is clearly labelled as ‘ripe and ready to eat’ then much less handling is needed and consumers and get a better product, adds Mr Tyas.
The strategy is paying off with the independent retailers, Mr Tyas says, but the larger supermarket are still very strict on what material they will allow on display. Avocados Australia is keen to work more closely with the big chains moving forward. “Other research done about 18 months ago showed that 58% of respondents would buy more avocados if they understood better how to select, store and handle them. Avocados Australia has the information consumers want,we just need to get it to them," Mr Tyas says.
Exports still targeting Asia
In terms of export markets, the recent FTA signed with China will have no immediate impact for Australian avocado growers, according to Mr Tyas. China, Japan and Thailand are key priorities for new market access, he says. “With Thailand we’ve been working on getting access back for the last two years. The biggest issue remains the Queensland fruitfly, but fruit flies aren’t a real pest of avocados, just a quarantine issue.”
Australia will target premium markets in China once protocols are in place, tariff reductions will then help, according to him. “When it comes to China we’re in a great spot to get fruit into that market when it’s open to Australia.”
