2018 Is On Track to Be a Record Year for Avocados
United States avocado volume is expected to reach a record high this year.
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The past couple of years have not been easy for avocado fans — what with shortages and price spikes and all. But this year, thank goodness, it appears that your avocado addiction will be safe and satisfied.
Avocado volume in the United States is expected to reach a record high this year, with California, Mexico and Peru all set to produce large crops, The Packer reports. As Emiliano Escobedo, executive director of the California-based Hass Avocado Board explained to the produce-industry publication, avocados alternate annually between heavy and light crops and 2018 will be an "on" year after an "off" one in 2017.
"There will definitely be more fruit than last year," Escobedo predicted, estimating that the total U.S. avocado volume for 2018 will reach 2.4 billion pounds, shooting past 2017’s available volume by around 300 million pounds and significantly exceeding the 2.2 billion pound record reached in 2016.
That’s a lot of avocados, but Escobedo has waved away concerns about oversupply, telling The Packer, "Demand is definitely there for high-quality avocados." Retailers are being encouraged to source broadly to ensure peak avocados and to handle them properly so as to ensure that quality is maintained.
A bumper crop of high-quality avocados? Definitely something worth (avocado) toasting!
Photo: iStock
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