Aussie avocado prices to drop this winter due to strong production

Producers have delivered great news for avocado lovers with another Australian bumper crop set to see prices drop in time for winter.

Harvest of the popular Hass avocado has begun with strong production expected to see the avocado price fall in the coming weeks, according to Rural Bank’s latest data.

 An oversupply of Australian avocados last year saw record low prices for the fruit with production tipped to soar for the next five years.

But senior agricultural analyst Michael Curtis has warned that while there will be plenty of supply this year, last year’s record low prices are unlikely to be repeated.

‘Strong production of those avocados is going to lead to fairly low prices,’ he told AAP.

There will be more smashed avocado on the menu with the price of fruit set to drop

‘So consumers should expect to see some low, low priced avocados in supermarkets – not quite as low as what we saw last year.’

John Tyas from Avocados Australia said he doesn’t expect massive volumes of supply in 2023 as new domestic and export markets will mean more options for growers.

He said the price will be determined by supply and demand.

‘We’ve seen a lot of new consumers buy into… the domestic market,’ Mr Tyas said.

‘We also saw our export markets triple into mainly Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong and then more recently … access to India.’

‘India’s going to be a game changer for the industry.’

Australian Hass avocados received provisional access to the Indian market in March, with 10 trial shipments to be sent to India during the provisional access period.

The drop in prices this winter is due to an abundant supply of avocadoes (pictured on a tree)

Access was granted after Australia showed its avocados could meet India’s biosecurity and food import requirements.

If the shipments meet India’s import requirements, full access will be granted.

The move came after Australia secured reduced tariffs on a range of horticulture products to the lucrative Indian market.

Rural Bank expects the price of avocados domestically to move closer to two dollars per kilogram over the next couple of months.

Australian avocadoes are available all year round because of the widespread and climatically diverse growing regions. 

The highest volume of fruit is available between March and November.

Avocado lovers have been warned prices won’t drop to the record lows of 2022