Producers sent fruit over in late April - earlier than usual - and early May to try and beat Peruvian shipments, however the strategy backfired as their competitor also shipped early. Peru and South Africa share the same export window which generally runs from May until the end of September.
South Africa Avocado Growers' Association overseas technical officer Richard Nelson told FreshFruitportal.com the situation was "unfortunate," adding that South African growers "were trying to get ahead but they ended up in an oversupply situation" which prevented prices from reaching acceptable levels. In addition, wet weather in the early part of Europe's spring affected demand. On a brighter note, Nelson described the quality of South African avocados this year as surprisingly good with high yields of fruit.
Read the full article on www.freshfruitportal.com.
