A draft result for the 2017-18 New Zealand avocado season has come in, and the country’s total sales are reportedly NZ$150m, from a total of 3.8m trays.
The total output has been only 50 per cent of the previous season, but offered a good return to growers, according to New Zealand Avocado.
From those sales, NZ$105m were attributed to exports and NZ$45m domestic.
New Zealand Avocado Growers Association chair, Tony Ponder, said that the New Zealand government’s five-year Primary Growth Partnership investment and research funding has been a strong supporter of the industry’s growth and grower returns.
Orchard gate returns were reportedly as high as NZ$40 per tray, up from the NZ$10-12 per tray prior to the primary growth investment in 2012.
“Demand continues to grow in all markets, and the focus is now on increasing productivity of existing orchards and supporting new orchard development,” said Jen Scoular, CEO of New Zealand Avocado.
“Over 1,000 hectares of dairy and dry stock farms in Northland have been converted to avocado orchards over the past three years, and some of these orchards are expecting their first crops in the coming season.”
The industry is working toward a goal of NZ$280m in total sales by 2023.
