NEW Zealand’s avocado industry has more than doubled its sales from last season to $136m, setting new records in both domestic and export markets. This year’s return eclipses the previous sales record of $84.1m set in 2009-10 and is substantially higher than the $60.4m worth of avocados sold last year.
Chief Executive of NZ Avocado, Jen Scoular, says a number of factors contributed to the successful season including initiatives which are transforming the avocado industry into a more cohesive and competitive sector.
“Our focus over the last 12 months has been to promote far more collaboration across the avocado industry with growers, packers, New Zealand marketers, exporters and those supporting our industry. This has allowed us to start addressing and resolving issues that have previously held us back,” says Scoular.
The 2013-14 season saw the successful amalgamation of two of New Zealand’s largest exporters into one exporting group to Australiaand the continued collaboration of three exporters under one brand into Asia.
