Excellent season with the potential for a record export crop is on the cards for South Africa this year
The 2025 South African avocado season has started, with the first small volumes of fruit due in Europe and the UK by the end of the week.
Following an excellent growing season in the main production areas, with good rains and full reservoirs, the industry says that it is on target to export some 23mn cartons this season.
Last year export volumes exceeded 21mn cartons in what was supposed to be an ‘on-year’, which would normally indicate that they next season produces a smaller crop.
“The fact that we are likely to exceed last year’s volumes in indicative of the investments in plantings in recent years,” says Derek Donkin, CEO of Subtrop.
“The industry is now firmly on a growth path, and we look forward to servicing our clients in traditional markets, as well as newly opened markets with our normal high-quality fruit this season.
“Europe and the UK remains our most important marketing regions,” he explains. “We annually see growth in the consumer market and we believe it will continue this year.”
More small shipments are expected in Europe next week, and thereafter supplies available to the market are set to increase rapidly.
Donkin says the first shipments to China are expected to leave South Africa before the end of March.
“Exporters say they will gradually build their presence in China and possibly Japan over the next few months,” he outlines. ”Most will only step up volumes towards the middle of the year – during the peak of the South African Hass season.
“In India we will possibly await the end of the Tanzanian season, but there we also face high import tariffs which is inhibiting increased volumes in the short term,” says Donkin.
”We are also confident that we will make progress with access to the market in South Korea soon. At present the Koreans are dealing with access for South African table grapes and then they will turn attention to South Africa avocados.”
Increased production in South Africa has been on the cards for some time with plantings in earlier and later regions, as well as expansion in the traditional regions.
Over the last decade, new varieties have also become available to the industry.
South Africa now harvest avocados from late January until the end of November and has become largely self-sufficient in its fast-growing local consumer market.
This brings a balance between exports and local supplies with particularly also the market for sales in 1kg bags rapidly rising.
