SOURCE: Emily Wind, The Guardian
Retailers selling fruit for as little as 80 cents each amid high supply, but prices likely to rise when Hass variety hits market.
Avocado prices have plunged in recent weeks, but industry experts say the cost of the fruit will soon rise as the popular, and more expensive, Hass variety returns to the market.
Some retailers have reportedly been been selling Shepard avocados for as little as 80 cents a piece, but the chief executive of Avocados Australia, John Tyas, said the standard price at major retailers across the country was about $1.80 to $1.90.
“It’s definitely on the lower end,” Tyas said.
Tyas said avocado prices were based on supply and demand, and that the Shepard avocado season would end in the coming weeks, with the Hass variation due on the market.
A Woolworths spokesperson said that the price of Shepard avocados had reduced in recent months due to improved growing conditions.
Individual stores can also mark down prices at their discretion if they have excess stock.
Tyas said that more avocados were being exported from Australia than usual at the moment.
“When we find the domestic market is getting too heavily supplied then we’ll often see more fruit … exported to help try to keep that that balance maintained,” Tyas said.
But Tyas said “in a few weeks time there really won’t be any Shepards around”.
He said for growers this time of year could be challenging because of the transition from Shepard to Hass. But he said consumers were fond of the Hass variety, which changes colour more distinctly as it ripens.
“Most consumers are more familiar with Hass,” he said.
“They know when it’s right because the skin darkens which gives them a clue that it’s right, which doesn’t happen with Shepard.”