Avocado

production
supply chain
marketing
Jenny Margetts
P2P Business Solutions
Brisbane, Australia
P2P Business Solutions
Designing Solutions to Help Your Business Grow
Today

Overview of global production and demand for avocados

Production
Varieties
Producing - spacing / canopy management / pest & disease
management / pollination
Harvesting
(What we do in Australia and what other countries do)
Managing the supply chain
Storing, transporting, packing, distributing
Marketing
About me
B App Sci (Hort Tech)(hons), B Bus, Dip Export Marketing
Worked as an agronomist for 8 years cotton, sugarcane, wine
grapes, fruit & vegetables
Worked in industry and corporate management roles in
agriculture for 8 years
Now have a consulting business for 12 years P2P Business
Solutions planning and value chain
Work with the Australian avocado, macadamia, mango, banana,
citrus, persimmon, passionfruit and cherry industries (growers,
packers, wholesalers, retailer, exporters and importers in
south-east Asian markets), researchers and government.
Also work with New Zealand industry and researchers +
clients / collaborators in Mexico, Chile, UK and USA.
LinkedIn - https://au.linkedin.com/in/jennymargetts
Global production - 2013

Australian production: 60,000 tonnes

Source: FAOSTAT
Production by country - 2013
Production by country /
variety
South Africa 105,000 tonnes 45% Hass
USA 170,000 tonnes 95% Hass
Kenya 12,000 tonnes 40% Hass
Israel 80,000 tonnes 50% Hass
Mexico 1,600,000 tonnes - 100% Hass
Peru 280,000 tonnes - 60% Hass
Chile 200,000 tonnes - 85% Hass
Columbia 44,000? tonnes - 100% Hass
Australia 60,000 tonnes - 85% Hass / 10% Shepard
Top exporters 2014
Source: World Avocado Conference 2015
World Avocado Consumption 2013
Source: World Avocado Conference 2015
Per capita consumption 2013
Source: World Avocado Conference 2015
Global per capita consumption
Avocado Consumption
Global demand
Top Importers - 2014
Varieties
Hass
Lamb Hass
Maluma Hass
Greenskins
Shepard
Reed (like Booth 7 in shape)

www.californiaavocado.com
Hass

Mid to late season variety (biennial bearing can be an

issue with late season fruit)
Fruit turns dark when ripening, oval shape, pebbly
thick skin, size 180 - 350 g
Tree upright, high vigour
Good environmental tolerance
Small fruit in warmer areas can be a problem
Predominantly Guatemalan Type A
Lamb Hass

Later variety than Hass

Fruit Very similar in appearance to Hass, turns dark
when ripening, oval shape, medium size seed, pebbly
thick skin, size 330 - 530 g
Tree smaller tree, more suitable for higher density
plantings than Hass
Needs to be managed differently to Hass in post harvest
phase
Maluma Hass
Earlier variety
Tree - compact tree, good heat tolerance
Fruit fruit turns darker when ripening, small seed,
more pebbly than Hass, 150 - 400 g.
Grown in South Africa for export and domestic markets. Covered by
Plant Breeders Rights, held by the South African company AH Ernst &
Seuns (Pty) Ltd trading as Allesbeste. More information on Maluma is
available om the Maluma-blog: www.maluma.info.
Reed
Late variety (biennial bearing can be an issue)
Fruit green skin, round, thick skin, large size 400-500 g
Tree upright column shaped, heavy bearer
Good environmental tolerance, but fruit
are susceptible to loss from freeze damage
Can drop fruit when fruit is large but not mature
Guatemalan Type A
Shepard

Very early variety

Fruit green skin, pear shape, medium skin, larger
seed, 160 290 g
Fruit stay green when cut, so good for salads etc
Tree semi-dwarf, dense spreading canopy, medium
vigour
Flowering - extended flowering habit, sensitive to low
temperatures at flowering resulting in poor fruit set
Mexican Type B
Pollinisers

Sharwil
Fruit Greenskin, oval shaped, medium thick skin, large
fruit 250 -400g, mid season maturity
Tree large and vigorous tree but limbs can be weak,
needing strong management (canopy and nutrition),
susceptible to boron deficiency,
Guatemalan Type B
Ettinger
Edranol
Zutano
Production spacing / canopy
management
Australia 10 x 5 m; 9 x 4 m; 7 x 3m
Peru 7 x 3.5m; 5 x 2m
(aim for trees never to be more than 4 metres high)
Chile 1.25 x 1.25m (research only)

Good canopy management is more

important at higher densities
At very high density, plant growth
regulators are used to keep tree size
small (Chile)
Production pest & disease
management
Phytophthora management is critical
Production - pollination
Use of beehives to increase the pollination using 4 -12
hives/ha
If beehives are permanent - use flowers to sustain bees
Maturity

Before harvesting it is important that fruit is mature

Fruit tastes best when it reaches a minimum oil
content. Dry matter is a way to get an indication of oil
content. Dry matter for Hass 23% DM / Shepard 21% DM
A number of techniques for determining dry matter -
Hofshi core method / grated flesh method use oven,
food dehydrator or microwave to do test.
Fruit will start to ripen when it is
removed from the tree
Harvesting / picking the fruit
Only pick fruit once it is mature
Ensure fruit is dry when picking
Can snap pick or clip / clipping is preferable
Pickers need to handle fruit with care
Pack into smaller sized containers, so fruit isnt stacked
too high
Do not leave picked fruit in sun cover if necessary
Pick up fruit from field regularly so fruit isnt exposed
to high temperatures
Supply chain after picking

Handle fruit with care even when it is green and hard.

Drops of 10cm - 30cm can cause damage (bruising).
Immediately after harvest, pre-cool fruit to 5-7 degrees
Celsius (Hass /Shepard). This is important to maintain
quality.
If anthracnose and stem end rot is present use post
harvest fungicide treatment (if allowable)
Grade to what market requires (allowable blemish)
Do reject bin analysis
If transporting, make sure packages are well secured, so
that fruit is not damaged.
Packing

Depending on market
Australia
5.5kg tray (14 to 28 fruit per tray)
10kg bulk box
Europe
4kg tray
US
4kg? tray
Lugs 11kg bulk
Ripening

Specialised skill
Exposing fruit to ethylene triggers ripening so fruit
ripens evenly
Can take 4 -14 days once fruit is exposed to ethylene,
depending on condition of fruit
Can store fruit after ripening under certain conditions
For large volumes of fruit need to have dedicated
ripening rooms
Retail
In Australia, most fruit is sold through
large retailers in 5.5kg trays
Usually as single fruit
Also sold in bags or packs of 2-3 fruit
Encourage retailers to present
ripe for tonight fruit and use stickers on
the fruit
The Australian industry spends more than
AU$2 million per year to promote avocados
as a healthy food option
Other products

Fresh product

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Booth 7
Guatemalan-West Indian hybrid; fruit spheroid-obovate, fruit apex rounded, level
pedicel insertion; small to medium size,
10-20 oz, 280 -570 grams, 3 2/16-3 15/16 in. dia.; skin bright green, slightly
pebbled, glossy, thick and woody; flesh of good quality, oil content,
7-13%; seed medium size, tight in cavity