Tonnes of produce dumped as prices fall
EYE-OPENING video and images of tonnes of Far Northern avocados being dumped has gone viral, leading to online outrage, following what has been a tough season for growers.
A Yungaburra resident shared what has been estimated to be 50 to 100 tonnes of Tablelands avocados being dumped, with a potential value of about $200,000.
The post showing “a sea” of avocados wasted was shared by Tablelands to Tabletop, a local produce retailer, and on Monday had been shared more than 2000 times, with more than 300 comments expressing disgust at the situation.
That situation has arisen from an oversupplied market caused by flooded storage facilities in cities, an extended
Western Australian season, decreased West Australian exports and as Tablelands to Tabletop director Angela Nason revealed, competition from imported avocados leading to 20-year low returns for the Far North growers.
“I’ve got family who are avocado growers and they’re telling me that the agents are saying the supermarkets want New Zealand avocados,” Ms Nason said. “I think the consumer attitude has to change, if we keep putting imported fruits in our trolley and paying for it, then supermarkets will keep thinking it’s popular.
“It was a very sad situation, but we can all change it. And for the government, it was easy enough for them to shut down cafes and everything they wanted during Covid, it should be easy enough for them to shut imports all together, when we grow enough here.”