New Guacamole Format

Welcome to the new look Guacamole newsletter, developed alongside Avocados Australia's new website.  Get all the latest avocado industry news at your fingertips every fortnight!  We hope you like it - and with even more new improvements to come!

Cyclone Debbie Update

Avocados Australia has contacted some potentially affected members after the wake of Cyclone Debbie and is pleased to report that the general feedback is that there is no significant damage to report at this stage.  If you have experienced any damage please fill out the disaster damage assessment form or contact Growcom on 07 3620 3844. 

New Industry BPR

Check out Avocados Australia's new website: www.avocado.org.au!  Learn more about the new and improved Best Practice Resource (BPR) and all its features as well as how to gain access!

Avocados Australia Gets Social!

Avocados Australia has launched into Social Media! Be sure to follow and like us to stay updated on all the latest news!  Find us here: Facebook (@Avocados Australia) and Twitter (@AvocadosAu).

Ag Chemical Update Feb 2017

A February 2017 summary of the various regulatory issues and chemical reviews currently underway both locally and internationally has been released and can be read within the Ag Chemical Update Feb 2017.

Amazon in Australia might not be the end of retail as we know it. 30/03/2017
After months of teasing, Amazon will reportedly “greatly expand” its online offer in Australia over the next year.

The Avocado Boom: Will prices ever drop? 30/03/2017
It’s the million dollar question. Who would have thought that a piece of fruit could become one of the most talked about items in Australia?

Productivity Commission recommends a wide slash of farm red tape, except biosecurity and food safety. 29/03/2017
The Productivity Commission has released a range of sweeping recommendations to cut the costs of regulation in agriculture.

Smashing topic and avocados are here to stay. 29/03/2017
I wanted to bring you up to date on the issue of smashed avocados just in case it escaped your attention.

Woollies worried energy rises will hit grocery prices. 29/03/2017
Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci has warned rising energy costs will eventually force the food giant to increase grocery prices.

Woolworths seeks cheaper organics, longer-term supply contracts. 29/03/2017 Woolworths chief executive Brad Banducci has told The Australian’s Global Food Forum the supermarket giant is eager to secure long-term contracts with food suppliers, giving producers confidence to increase their investment in innovation, especially in the fresh food category.

Increased yields and higher prices for horticulture producers. 23/03/2017 Australian horticulture producers have started 2017 on the back of a positive 2016, which saw increased yields and higher prices, according to Rural Bank and Rural Finance’s new Australian Horticulture Report.

The scales of justice: National Measurement Institute audits fruit and vegetable weights. 21/03/2017
Fruit and vegetable packers will come under extra scrutiny as they are audited to check that a bag of produce actually has as much weight in it as it says on the label.

Melbourne Market: No tick for X-ray treatment facility. 21/03/2017
Melbourne Market’s new $5 million X-ray facility to treat export-bound fruit and vegies can’t be used on produce destined for some of Australia’s largest horticultural export markets.

Government to introduce reef regulations on horticulture growers. 20/03/2017
The Queensland Government announced plans to implement reef regulations in a discussion paper released last week. The regulations will include banana, other horticulture and grains well as increasing the regulation levels that already apply to sugarcane and grazing.

The evolution of Australia’s eating habits. 20/03/2017
Roy Morgan Research has conducted a study into Australia’s eating habits over the past decade, discovering a lot has changed.

China: Market price rises for avocados and grapefruit.  30/03/2017
Last week, it rained constantly in the Shanghai region. In general, all imported products are selling at a slower rate, but avocados from Mexico and Chile, and Israeli grapefruit have filled a gap in the supply.  

Strong opening prices for SA avocados in EU.  28/03/2017
The first South African avocados have started arriving in Europe to find quite empty markets because recent floods have disrupted the Peruvian avocado industry, causing a delay in ripening and loading their fruit.  

Peru: Sierra farmers to take far greater share of avocado exports.  28/03/2017  
Hass avocado growers in Peru’s Sierra region are expecting to almost triple their share of the country’s exports in the coming years, as they look to take advantage of a good marketing window in Europe with higher volumes.   

USA: Michoacán counts cost of illegal avo plantings.  23/03/2017 Deforestation threatens to cause serious water shortage as demand for the ‘green gold’ surges.  The Mexican state of Michoacán is home to between 30,000ha and 45,000ha of illegal avocado orchards according to a leading academic.

Europe:  Avocado shortage in Europe until May.  22/03/2017
At the moment, the avocado market is marked by high prices, both at origin and destination, as the volumes have started to fall. The situation is not going to improve in the short term and there are likely to be shortages until the first week of May. 

Danish supermarkets change avocado supply policies.  20/03/2017
Two of Denmark's largest grocery chains have made changes to their supply of avocados from Chile.   The green fruit is so popular with consumers in Western countries that it has indirectly led to water shortages and deforestation in the Chilean province of Petorca.