Avocados

After a disappointing avocado campaign in 2008/09, due to the effects of frost in spring 2008, leading Israeli exporter Agrexco anticipates a far better harvest next season, thanks in part to an increase in production area, which is growing by some 350ha per year.

Uzi Kuris, director of Agrexco France, expects the company to import 5m packs of avocados next season, compared with 2m the season just gone, according to Végétable. This volume would break the record of 4.2m packs achieved in 2006/07.

The campaign is set to begin in the third week of October with large volumes of the Ettinger variety. This will be followed in December by Fuerte, Pinkerton and the French favourite, Hass, with the Ardit, Wurtz and Reed varieties helping to stretch the season until the end of April.