After a three-season absence, New Zealand avocado exports have returned to the US market in a big way.
The Oceanic nation has shipped over 600,000 trays to the North American market since September. The country’s leading avocado exporter Avanza, which handles 93 per cent of the industry’s shipments outside of Australia, has coordinated the entire US programme through its partnership with Mission Produce.
The trade has proved to be valuable release valve for all New Zealand suppliers, who have had to delicately manage shipments into their core Australian market, following a bumper domestic crop and increased production out of Western Australia.
“Avanza carried the “industry good” burden of undertaking 100 per cent of the New Zealand industry exports to the US in order to protect the crucial Australian market, while other exporters elected to service more rewarding markets closer to home,” Avanza spokesman Steve Trickett told Asiafruit.
Trickett said US returns had been “largely satisfactory” despite congestion at California’s Long Beach Port, which has led to continuous delays and altered vessel schedules, impacting on optimum fruit age and quality. He added that the US market will continue to be a year-by-year proposition for Avanza.
“We will weigh-up crop volume availability and market needs ahead of each season,” Trickett said. “We are fortunate to have the luxury of flexibility in ‘coming and going’ in our approach to the US market as part of our wider market plan, ultimately understood and supported by our partner Mission Produce.”
Trickett said a favourable New Zealand/US exchange rate will continue to assist with late-season sales programmes.
