The South African avocado export season has kicked off for 2009, with the South African Avocado Growers' Association (SAAGA) estimating volumes to hit 10m 4kg cartons (40,000 tonnes), with some 25 per cent of this heading for the UK.
SAAGA is optimistic of a strong season, and is anticipating a consistent supply of high-quality produce, building on the success of 2008 when record avocado volumes were exported.
'`It was` a record season for two reasons,' said Derek Donkin, CEO of the SA Subtropical Growers Association, which manages the affairs of SAAGA. 'We had a record export crop of 12.8m 4kg cartons (51,200 tonnes) and our UK promotion campaign achieved record levels of in-store activity and consumer media coverage.'
Production has been untroubled by unusual weather patterns, according to SAAGA, with the crop split evenly between greenskin varieties and Hass avocados.
'We would expect a smaller crop this year; a reduction after a large crop is a recognised phenomenon in avocado production,' said SAAGA chairman Piet Muller. 'But 10m cartons is good by any standards and we are looking forward to another successful season.'
Promotion in the UK this year will involve an in-store and out-of-store programme consisting of a new information and recipe booklet, in-store sampling, online activity, targeted advertising and a trade and consumer PR campaign.
The campaign, themed 'Add An Avo', aims to encourage consumers to incorporate avocados into everyday meals, and will be backed by nutritionist and TV presenter Amanda Ursell.
'Our UK campaign has been financially supported by South African avocado growers since the start and is a remarkable example of what farmers can achieve when they work together to promote a product,' said Mr Muller.
The 2008 promotional campaign generated over £2.3m (€2.55m) worth of avocado coverage in the UK, with over 15,000 entries for the 'Win a Holiday' competition.
