Price of Hass avocado is 40% lower this year compared to Fuerte in South Africa

The market for Fuerte is currently high, €6.20 and €7.30 for a 4 kg carton, which is very close to record levels, and the price has been at this high level for a month, says Ricardo Kotze, avocado specialist at GROW BothaRoodt on Johannesburg's municipal fruit and vegetable market. There are no large quantities of Fuerte, but there is a steady flow and, he adds, buyers are willing to pay extra for this variety. The quality of avocados from Eswatini (former Swaziland), which sends significant quantities to South Africa, is very good, he notes. "The market supply is very low, we are at 18,000 cartons while we are normally at 28,000 cartons at this time of year. We are still getting fruit from growers in Nelspruit and KwaZulu-Natal, but many of them are waiting for the export market to improve before they are starting to pick. We expect the supply to start to pick up in the coming weeks." For Hass, the price on the market in Johannesburg is much lower, namely €3.38 and €3.95 for a 4 ...