After having such a long period where avocados were like gold dust and cost almost as much, the European market for green skin varietal took a sharp dip in week 19 due to record volumes arriving from South Africa and Peru.
"The green skin season has been very positive with good sizes and the market was strong until it took a sharp dip in week 19," explains Craig McBain from Halls, South Africa. "This is the first time we have seen this amount of green skins going to Europe, with more than 500,000 cartons arriving per week over a four week period. Volumes have tapered off and we expect the market and prices to stabilise within the next week or so."
From a Hass point of view it has been a difficult season for South African growers. Due the drought and high temperatures a lot of the fruit hasn't sized up and the count spreads have been heavily weighted to the small sizes and the markets can't absorb all this small fruit.
Typically from South Africa's total avocado exports 19% would be smaller counts (26, 28,30 and 32's), this season it will be around 40%.
The larger Hass counts are very limited and as such market prices remain very buoyant and on a par with last season.
Halls are halfway through the avocado harvest, but also have grower partners in Kenya and Tanzania where the harvest is starting to pick up and the fruit from those countries is bigger because they have had adequate rainfall.
South Africa is still in a drought situation with water restrictions currently in place. However with the expected weakening of the El Nino through the latter half of the year normal rainfall patterns are expected to return from October.
