With avocado production in California down nearly 50 percent from a year ago, prices are climbing, says the LA Times. Extreme heat and drought last summer affected the fruit that’s maturing this season. “When the heavy rains finally arrived in the winter, it was too late,” the report said.
Similar conditions have affected Mexican avocados as well, tightening imports from south of the border. In the wholesale market, a box of 60 avocados currently costs about $80, compared with the usual price of $40 to $50 in August, the paper said, quoting an official at Sacramento produce supplier Fresh Express.
The tough conditions have led some avocado growers to sell their lands, further contributing to a 46 percent fall in production to 215 million pounds, down from 401 million pounds in 2016, according to the California Avocado Commission. The Hass Avocado Board said production in the state in the week that ended Aug. 6 was only one-third of the production in same week last year, the Times said.
The paper said the average avocado retail price nationally was $1.25 last week, up from $1.14 a year earlier and 94 cents in May 2016, according to the USDA. But it also said it was unclear how far avocado prices would rise for consumers, since for now retailers appear to be absorbing some of the cost increases.
The California avocado-selling season typically runs from about March and April until Labor Day. After that, avocados come largely from Mexico, Chile, and Peru.