Quality has translated to quantity for avocado exports out of Western Australia (WA) so far this season.
After the impacts of weather and bi-annual cropping exerted their toll on the state’s crop - and hence international sales - last season, growers were met with ideal conditions heading into the 2014/15 summer, with harvest getting underway in early September.
“We have certainly been moving a lot of export volume, with our customers sticking to Australian-grown despite the prices being higher for our fruit,” said Jennie Franceschi of the Manjimup-based Australian Export Company (AEC). “I believe the quality of Australian grown has been the biggest benefit to our export programmes. We’re obviously supplying a better value proposition.”
In a bid to capitalize on a relatively empty domestic market and heightened demand from markets across Asia, Franceschi says some WA growers began their harvests earlier than usual, resulting in smaller fruit size for early season programmes. Therefore, she anticipates thestate’s total volume will not be as high as originally forecast.
“We’re still on track for a record harvest, and it’s not hard to see why consumers love WA fruit,” she said. “Our customers tell us that WA avocados offer a better taste than other avocados on offer at the same time.”
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