According to Carlos Moreno of Kromos Produce, producers' container requirements were not confirmed properly with service providers and problems were confounded by a lack of the right ships in the right place at the right time. "All this happened after the war in the [Persian] gulf explained Moreno. "At the time a lot of containers were diverted away from their usual routes and there was also strong demand [for containers] from Chile. As a result producers had to use reefer vessels taking 35 container loads at a time so that when and wherever the fruit is discharged, it creates oversupply."

Prices for avocados in the UK have come down, confounding South African suppliers who dominate the market at this time of year. Earlier in the season the prospects were brighter with expenditure up two per cent and prices for pre-packs and loose fruit also up six per cent, according to TNS date for the week ending 24 June. Individual fruit was retailing at 79p but these prices have fallen to below 70p since then with some supermarkets offering buy-one-get-one free and erroneously using Peruvian avocados in South African promotional packs.

Topics