Bearing fruit
Why avo prices have soared 150%
Prices of avocados have hit a record, a boon for local farmers
It is boom time for SA’s avocado producers as they ride high on a more than 150% rise in the world avocado price over the past year to a record high. In the short term, a 20% slump in production in Mexico, which produces 45% of the world’s avocado supply, has driven up the price. In the longer term, rising demand has been driven by the avocado’s well-deserved image of being both healthy and highly versatile. It is also something of a fad, popular with hipsters for avocado toast and even "avolattes" (latte served in avo skin). "Avocados are a great industry to be in," says Clive Garrett, marketing manager for ZZ2, one of SA’s biggest producers. "Avocados have everything going for them to ensure a great future." The fruit is pretty much universally popular. In the US, the world’s biggest avocado consumer, it has been dubbed "America’s favourite fruit". Since 2000 annual avocado consumption in that country has risen fourfold; it continues to rise at about 90,000t/year — the equivalent ...
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