New Guacamole Format

Welcome to the new look Guacamole newsletter!  The latest industry news at your fingertips.

This has been developed as part of the new website and aims to provide regular information in an easier to read format.  We hope you like it, with even more improvements to come!

'Guacamole' is the Australian avocado industry’s fortnightly email newsletter delivering the latest news to the Australian avocado industry.

New Avocados Australia Website

Check out our new website here:  www.avocado.org.au

After 18 months of planning and development, Avocados Australia has launched its new industry website, the Australian Avocado growers’ one-stop-shop for Best Practice Resources, news and industry updates.

Avocados Australia gets Social!

Avocados Australia has launched into Social Media - Facebook and Twitter - to update growers and our supply chain of avocado news and information as it happens!

Be sure to LIKE and FOLLOW us at the following links to receive notification of all of our posts and never miss a thing:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AvocadosAustralia/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AvocadosAu

If you haven't signed up to Facebook or Twitter, now is a great time - it's fast and simple to do!  

SHARE YOUR STORY: If you have a great news story, event, photos/images/videos of you and your crops please forward them to the Communications Manager for sharing on these platforms: co@avocado.org.au 

New Avocado PHA levy in place from 1 April

Following industry consultation and endorsement last year, Avocados Australia requested the Australian Government implement a Plant Health Australia (PHA) levy to provide resources to ensure the avocado industry can meet its commitments in managing biosecurity.

The Australian Government has now approved the changes which will come into effect from 1 April 2017.  The PHA levy will be 0.1 of a cent per kilogram of fresh avocados sold which will be offset by a 0.1 of a cent per kilogram reduction in the R&D levy.  There will be no change to the total amount of levy payable.

If you have any questions about these changes, please contact the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources on 1800 020 619 or email levies.management@agriculture.gov.au.

New Avocado information available on HIA website

Hort Innovation has recently published ‘Industry Snapshots’ as part of their Hortlink publication in their website. To access the industry snapshot for avocados click here.

Fair Farms: Free risk assessments of current workforce practices

Growcom has been successful in obtaining funding through the Fair Work Ombudsman’s Community Engagement Grants Program (CEGP) to provide growers with free one-on-one risk assessments of their current workforce practices.  They will also partner with Freshcare to develop an ethical treatment of workers’ certification to enable growers to demonstrate (through a third-party audit) they are meeting best practice standards.

To read more about this initiative and how your business or region could get involved click here: Fair Farms Initiative - March 2017 FVN

For further information, contact Rachel Mackenzie, Growcom 0408 796 199.

New BeeConnected App

The BeeConnected app facilitates communication between farmers and beekeepers as a tool to ensure crop protection is conducted safely, responsibly and per label requirements.

Users registered on BeeConnected are alerted when beekeeping or crop protection activities are logged within a 10 kilometre radius.

The app is available at no cost on iPhone, Android and desktop computers and is run by CropLife Australia in partnership with the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council. All growers are encouraged to join BeeConnected. 

More information is available at BeeConnected.org.au

Hort Innovation Marketing Update

As part of the strategy to inspire, engage and educate, a mix of delicious recipe ideas, relatable content and key messages were delivered via social media over the past two weeks.

Helping consumers understand how to identify and select a Shepard avocado. This benefits all growers regardless of variety, as the more consumers feel confident with avocados in general, the more comfortable they will be in selecting one that meets their needs. Education = confidence = better consumer experience = repeat purchase.

Infocado and retail prices update

Past Infocado Reports and Retail Prices data are available for access from the Avocados Australia website.  You can regularly access this information by going to the Avocados Australia website's Infocado and Retail Pricing pages.

Australian News

Avocados remain a smash hit as growers look to cash in - 18/03/2017
WA’s avocado haul could more than triple within five years as growers look to cash in on the popularity of the super food — particularly among inner-city types opting for avocado smash at the expense of real estate.  more

Tractors still farming’s most dangerous machine - 16/03/2017
QUAD bikes may be considered to be the leading cause of on-farm injuries and deaths, but it is the tractor that accounted for more fatalities in 2016.  more

Microsoft picks small farms for ripe reward - 14/03/2017
..Microsoft Australia, is driving an agtech push from its small business division, looking to partner with service providers and software developers... Mr Miller wants to get so close to farmers and he’s encouraging farmers with a problem, or tech heads with solutions, to contact Microsoft in person on 1800 718 177.  more

Leading Aussie banana grower adopts avocados to offset TR4 risk - 13/03/2017 ...(Leon Collins), who heads up L & R Collins and produces bananas on over 1,100 acres, has wanted to spread his risk since the deadly fungus Panama Disease Tropical Race IV (TR4) was first detected in the state in 2015. But while Hass avocados have not proven suitable for the area, Collins may have found something else that will do the trick – Maluma...  more

More of Queensland drought declared - 11/03/2017
Seven more regions in Queensland have been drought declared. Fraser Coast, North Burnett, South Burnett, Cherbourg, Gympie, Somerset and the remainder of Banana have been added to the list of shires that are officially in-drought. Today’s declarations mean that a recored 87.47 per cent of Queensland is officially in drought.  more

Costa Group looks to smash some avocado - 09/03/2017
Costa Group is among parties running the ruler over Australia's biggest avocado farm. The fruit and vegetable grower is seeking to tap into the heavy demand among inner-city types who've been chowing down on too much smashed avocado on toast, to the detriment of their real estate dreams.  more

Research and development partnership to tackle 'fragmented' plant biosecurity system - 08/03/2017
Australia's seven plant research agencies have come together to tackle what they have described as fragmentation and a lack of coordination in Australia's biosecurity system. The wine, wood, cotton, grain, rural industry, sugar and horticulture research and development corporations (RDC) are forming a partnership to streamline funding and improve the collaboration of biosecurity programs.  more

Chilli and Avocado Festival on this weekend - 08/03/2017
Held at Victoria Park’s McCallum Park this weekend, there will be a massive range of chilli and avocado products ready to tantalise your tastebuds at the Araluen Chilli & Avocado Festival.  more

Baby Food brand embraces HPP Technology - 06/03/2017
Western Australian company Fresh Produce Alliance is utilising high-pressure processing (HPP) to produce its baby food brand Born Pure, as well as its Avovita range of avocado-based foods and drinks, capitalising on the method’s ability to preserve the flavour, aroma, colour and nutrition of food.  more

Initial results promising for new late avocado variety - 06/03/2017
We all know how popular avocados are around the world, some of us like the green while other prefer the black skins, and probably the most well known is the Hass variety. Well, there is a newcomer to the avocado family, the Gem avocado. It is a black skin, similar in many ways to the Hass, but different in its handling and ripening.  more

China's big avocado farm purchase in question - 05/03/2017
A large Chinese pig, poultry and stockfeed company, Shenzhen Kondarl, has told the Shenzhen stock exchange it is close to finalising the purchase of Australia’s biggest avocado farm for as much as a billion Chinese yuan ($192 million). But Neil Delroy, the Australian owner of Jasper Farms at Busselton, Western Australia, told The Australian yesterday that no deal had been done. more

International News

Can global avocado supply keep up with demand? - 17/03/2017
This summer, the fledgling World Avocado Organization will launch its first promotion in Europe in an effort to continue to grow that market, which is already the second-largest market in the world, consuming about 800 million pounds of avocados per year.  more

New Colombia-UK Avocado JV "the right move" for Fresca and Cartama - 16/03/2017
A new avocado joint venture between U.K.’s Fresca Group and leading Colombian avocado grower Cartama is expected to result in a surge in Hass volumes for Europe. Headed up by Paul Frowde, the newly formed Cartama UK is the result of an eight-year trading relationship.  more

Mexico: Parts of Michoacan and Jalisco free from avocado pests - 14/03/2017
The Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA) declared a municipality in Jalisco and three municipalities of Michoacan as free of various pests that affect avocado, giving producers the opportunity to market their products in more favorable conditions in the domestic and international markets.  more

East Africa drought threatens crops - 13/03/2017
Drought conditions have plunged parts of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia into crisis, with harvests plummeting, food prices soaring and many suffering malnourishment. Severe drought continues to threaten millions across East Africa, with crop harvests significantly down and food prices doubling in countries including Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia... more 

Costa Rica's veto on Mexican avocados violates the FTA - 13/03/2017
The directors of the Chamber of Industry and Trade, Costa Rica-Mexico (Cicomex) and of Costa Rican Consumers, assured today that the ban on Mexican Hass avocado imports violated the bilateral Free Trade Agreement. more

South Africa: Avocado auction shows exorbitant demand for Maluma trees -13/03/2017
The first ever avocado tree auction in South African has yielded a completely unexpected result, with one buyer set to shell out almost 12 times the sales price for 500 Maluma trees.  more

South Africa: Fresh Fruit TV - Can avocados be trallised like apples? - 13/03/2017
South Africa-based Allesbeste Nursery has identified myriad productive pitfalls in today’s avocado industry, whether it be in propagation practices and how they affect root health, tall trees that are difficult and expensive to pick, or even pruning methods that tend to favor foliage over flowers.  more

NZ “We are taking Australasia’s finest fresh produce to the world" - 10/03/2017
Darling Group was formed to represent long-established Bay of Plenty-based fresh produce businesses, Just Avocados and Global Fresh New Zealand, and Australian based Global Fresh Australia and J.H. Leavy & Co… more 

Giant avo launches at Waitrose - 09/03/2017
Greencell has launched West Indian avocado variety Carla into Waitrose stores this week.  The company, which has previously said it is developing new ‘gourmet avocado’ varieties, said Carla arrived into limited Waitrose stores this week, under the ‘Caribbean’ label.  more

Florida researchers find chemical which can save avocado trees for less - 07/03/2017
The University of Florida may have found a new tool to help avocado growers protect their orchards for less.  more

USA: Innovation: Epipeel prolongs fruit shelf life, reduces spoilage - 07/03/2017
Extending fruit and vegetable shelf life through natural means is not easy, but a company based in Santa Barbara, California may have developed a solution. By forming a natural, edible and invisible barrier made from plant product waste that slows down spoilage, Apeel Sciences’ claims its patented Edipeel product provides a useful alternative to the fungicides, waxes and chemical preservatives sometimes used in the industry. more

Can't wait for Guacamole?

You can read all the latest Avocado News and industry related National & International News on the Avocados Australia industry website.

This project has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the avocado levy and funds from the Australian Government.