Avocado growers are being urged to sign up to a new levy funded benchmarking project that offers a simple and effective way to measure your business performance, identify potential practices and areas that may be improved.

RM Consulting Group (RMCG) is inviting growers to confidentially indicate their interest in participating in the project, which will provide them with an assessment of their performance measured individually and against the industry as a whole, as part of the project Avocado Industry Benchmarking 2022-2027 project (AV22004), a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Avocado Fund.

The objective of the project is to provide important financial and production insights to help the industry as a whole make better informed business management decisions. By addressing key issues, opportunities and/or trends affecting the industry, the project seeks to equip producers with the necessary knowledge and resources to make confident decisions related to their farms. Ultimately, the project aims to enhance the industry’s decision-making capabilities and improve its overall performance.

The benchmarking project, including key performance indicators, will be developed with the avocado industry to ensure it is relevant to producers. Information collected for analysis will include:

• Financial data – such as input costs (labour, materials, etc) avocado levies and packing costs, sales from avocados, etc.
• Production practices – such as fertiliser use, pest and disease control, irrigation inputs, varieties planted, access to processing facilities and harvesting practices.

Participating growers will be given a report summarising their own business benchmarks, and a summary of the industry-wide benchmarks based on de-identified data that will be made available to the wider industry.

Growers interested in participating in the project or learning more, are invited to self-register their details through this online expression of interest or contact Clinton Muller 0498 192 596 or clintonm@rmcg.com.au for further information.

Avocado Benchmarking Project Expression of Interest

All information relating to individual participants in the project and their data will remain strictly confidential.

This article appears as part of the Guacamole 27 October 2023 issue.