The avocado harvest in Western Australia started on 26th July, north of Perth. This is a bit later than normal.
“The Perth area started after this but we are seeing some SW fruit around that wouldn’t be mature, as it is not ripening well. This is due to a very cold and wet winter,” said Jennie Franceschi from Karri Country Produce.
“While there are massive volumes, sizing is on the smaller size. Queensland had large fruit but in general there is lots of fruit around and the domestic market is under pressure and prices are their lowest in over a decade.”
Jenny will be exporting more into the Asian markets, the main destinations will be Malaysia, Singapore and Japan. New Zealand also has a good crop, which will mean more competition on both the domestic and Asian markets.
Chile gained access to the Australian market in 2020, but Jenny thinks they would be better served sending to other countries this year.
“They will get a better ROI elsewhere. We have seen this season coming for years and growers are going to hurt a bit. We are in for an interesting year.”
In addition to the large volumes, exporters are suffering from the high cost of shipping which makes it difficult to compete on overseas markets. Some of the east coast states are back in lockdown and regional borders are closed which will make it even more challenging to get labour for harvesting and packing.
For more information:
Jennie Franceschi
Karri Country Produce
[email protected]