Dive Brief:
- California expects that its 2014 avocado crop will be around 136,000 metric tons, just over half what it was the previous season, when it weighted in at 227,000 metric tons.
- In contrast, the South African avocado industry is expecting its best yield to date with an export crop of 58,000 metric tons this season.
- They're not concerned about having too many to sell. South African avocados are distributed around Europe, which has been demanding more of this type of fruit over the past few years.
Dive Insight:
As we've seen here, the taste for avocados is one that has grown in the U.S., as it has in Europe. For European consumers, avocado consumption has nearly doubled in the past 10 years. In 2003, total consumption was 145,000 metric tons, and in 2013 it was 279,000 metric tons. That's good news for South Africa. As for California, the devastation of crops continues, and that will likely be reflected in higher produce prices for Americans this year.