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Millennials rejoice! Avocados are back on the menu in Australia, as an excess in production has led to people being encouraged to eat more.
First they told us to stop eating avocados in order save for home ownership. Now we’re being told to eat more, as a surplus in production in Australia means that this year will see growers produce 22 avocados per person, up 26 per cent on last year's figures, according to a new report by agribusiness bank Rabobank.
Number behind avocado production
The avocado harvest is set to produce 124,000 tonnes of avocados this year, an increase of 30,000 tonnes, as more and more avocado trees were planted between 2017 and 2019.
"Each year, during that period, over 1,000 hectares of avocado trees were planted, and [those] trees are still to mature and still to produce avocados," said the report.
"This year, we've seen a large increase, particularly in WA, with acreage maturing there. And for the next few years, we're going to see that increase all across Australia."
The laws of supply and demand mean the increased supply of avocados means the price of the fruit will continue to drop, and customers are already responding by buying more. Export opportunities will increase, as Australia can serve external markets such as Singapore and Malaysia. Markets with potential for growth include India, Thailand and Japan.
However, domestic consumers are being encouraged to add more avocados to their weekly shop this year. The increase in supply may hurt growers as the price drop could translate into less profit.
While much of the world, including Europe, the US and Latin America, is experiencing drought and damage to agricultural yields, the Australian winter has been marked by unusual amounts of rain, which will benefit the avocado crop.
In recent years, many top chefs have been ditching the avocado as demand for the green fruit in the west was encouraging deforestation in the areas in which they are grown. The avocado has a huge carbon footprint, requiring 320 litres of water for each one, before international export and transportation.
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