May 21, 2021

2021-Week 20

May 21, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld is not ready to let go of the lead in avocado production accounting for 63% of the total harvest of some 459,180 trays last week; followed by Central Qld with 36%; and the remaining 1% came from combined regions of South Qld and Sunshine Coast. This production figure represents a 15% increase on week prior and a 9% increase on what was forecast for this period. The volume of fruit in all markets has significantly increased and pricing has and is coming back quickly. Australian Hass are now truly in season with other available varietals in much lower volumes; with hass production figures accounting for 89% of the avocados that were harvested this week. Avocado market sales for premium trays are in the range of $20 -$26/tray (note the top is closer to $24, few sales of very good quality at $26). Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $14 --$18 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$50/ctn towards the end of this week and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$18/ctn.

The production of Hass this week is forecast to be in the vicinity of 390,000 trays and then is forecast to lift to 413K and then 406K per week in the following fortnight. Dry matter test results conducted in the last week are ranging 22.1 to 25.3% on medium to large fruit - we are continuing to pick accordingly only fruit from blocks that have returned dry matter results that exceed 23%.

Presentation in Qld stores this week was good with a greater focus on the Hass variety as the main display, but we have also seen the Greenskin Gmax avocado varietal in all three majors this week - displays seen of this variety to date do not have any consumer information pertaining to how this variety ripens or what it looks like as it ripens.

Prepack formulations continue for be a value offer and an opportunity to move greater volumes in a single purchase. Aldi were offering their 6 piece nets at $6.99 ea; Woolworths had the 5 pack on offer for $6.50 - $7.50 and the 1kg Odd Bunch ticketed at just $6 to $7/bag depending upon location; whilst Coles had both their 5 piece pack and 1kg I’m Perfect packs selling at $8.90ea.

In terms of Hass retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld had Greenskin Gmax Avos and Hass priced at a competitive $1.49 per single piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Hass and Greenskin Gmax Avos ticketed at $1.50 ea to $2.00 ea depending upon store location; whilst Coles in Qld continued their offer of Greenskin Gmax Avos and Hass at $1.80 each or 3 for $5.00. Coles is running a late week special with radio and press advertising supporting with an offer of Hass 4 for $5.00 - this special is on offer in SE Qld, NSW and Victoria.

Whilst the current market situation may appear a little gloomy with the volume of fruit available and the decline in pricing, it is pleasing to see that Avocados Australia have commenced their marketing campaign with the launch of “Our Green Gold” commercial bursting onto television screens now through until the end of June which will be supported by social media, digital advertising and public relations all of which aim to increase awareness and consumption. In addition to this, the major chains each have their own marketing strategies planned for moving increased volumes through this period.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

COLES HOT OFFER - AUSTRALIAN HASS AVOCADOS 4 FOR $5 LATE WEEK SPECIAL COMMENCING 21-05-21 THRU TO mONDAY IN QLD, NSW AND VIC - SUPPORTED BY RADIO AND NEWSPAPER ADVERTISING

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Below: Coles Garden City, Springwood and Carindale Displays

Coles stores had Greenskins Gmax Avos and Hass avocado varieties priced at $1.80 or 3 for $5.00 multibuy offer
Stores had 5 piece packs at $8.90 and the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $8.90/unit.
As seen above, Coles are running a late week special in SE Qld, NSW and Vic on new season Hass 4 for $5 which is being supported with newspaper and radio advertising. Special commences in stores today 21/05 and continue through to Monday at this stage.

Below: Aldi Garden City, Springwood and Carindale Displays

Stores stocked NQ Greenskins GMax Avos @ $1.49ea, Hass @ $1.49 and 6 piece Shepard at $6.99

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with bruise/body rot or sun blemish.

Below: Woolworths Garden City, Springwood and Carindale Displays

Most stores had Greenskins Gmax Green skin avos and Hass avocados at $1.50ea - a presence of nodule damage on most lines of hass to varying degrees.
5 piece packs at $7.50/ pack and 1kg Odd Bunch for $7.00!
New season Australian Hass header cards herald the start of the Hass season not all stores had erected these as yet.

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national cut for last week pushed just over 374,000 cartons which was a very much needed increase of 29% or some 84,000 cartons on the week prior. The weather in the past week has seen minimal rain fall across all North Qld growing regions - the heaviest falls ranging 6 to 20mm per day in the last three days particularly in Innisfail and Tully. The temperatures have continued to be milder with morning temperatures ranging 13 to 21.1C and daytime temperature ranges of 23 to 28.8C. With the cooling of the seasonal weather this slows the growth rate and pushes the average bunch age out, we are now harvesting at 16 weeks and expect this to push out to 17 weeks in another week or so. National production is expected to be within the region of 340 to 360,000 cartons this week.

Whilst there is still a presence of bat marking, it is significantly less and we are pleased to say that finally we believe we have turned a corner towards better quality fruit. The harvesting team have been proactively cutting fruit slightly thinner in order to prevent bronzing damage and as already stated average bunch age is now at 16 weeks. With the cooling of overnight and morning temperatures and slightly shorter days we will see production slow somewhat in the coming weeks. Our packing crew in the shed have been vigilant in continuing to grade out excessive bat scratching and visible bronzing defects to ensure fruit is within spec on arrival to our customers.

Quality on shelf this week was varied - some lines presented very well with minimal marking and good colour; whilst others were dull, with evidence of bronzing, sap staining, rub marking, neck damage and of course still a little bat/bird marking as you do doubt see in the photos included.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland is indicative of the shorter supply we have experienced in relation to cavendish with all majors on sell ticket price on or above $4/kg. The offer varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $4.49/kg; Woolworths at $4.00 to $4.90/kg and Coles offering fruit at $4.30 to $4.90/kg dependent upon the store locality.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Below: Coles Garden City, Springwood and Carindale Displays

Cavendish was priced at $4.30-$4.90/kg depending upon location, with Kids 750g packs also at $4.30/kg.
Lady Fingers were $7.90/kg across stores.
Quite a lot of stock at the stores visited this week that were more on the backward side in terms of colour development, with scarring, rub marking and sap staining evident. A few lines also found with sooty mould. Some very dull unappealing fruit found in a few stores.

Below: Aldi Garden City, Springwood and Carindale Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $4.49/kg, again skin marking, rub and sap staining with a percentage of the fruit having a dull appearance and being backward
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $6.99/kg

Below: Woolworths Garden City, Springwood and Carindale Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $4.00- $4.90/kg depending upon store location. Lil Sana kids banded clusters at $4.50. Displays generally presented better and fruit was cleaner with better condition - there was a degree of skin marking, little bat/bird damage and some semi-condition fruit.
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $5.50/kg and Organic variety at $5.90/kg

May 10, 2021

2021-Week 18

May 10, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

Central Qld took the lead in avocado production accounting for 51% of the total harvest of some 260,413 trays last week; followed by North Qld with 48.5%; and the remaining 0.5% came from combined regions of Central NSW; South Qld and Sunshine Coast. Whilst this production figure represents a 29% increase on week prior it was also 6.8% lower than forecast for this period. Pricing continues to be quite stable within the market place. Australian Hass are now pipping Shepard production figures accounting for 51% of the avocados that were harvested this week. Avocado market sales for premium trays are in the range of $24 -$30/tray, with Hass trays at the upper band of this range. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $16 --$20 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $42 --$50/ctn towards the end of this week and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$27/ctn.

North Qld Shepard avocados are forecast to be lighter again this week with around 60,000 trays forecast. The forecast for the next two week period shows the tray volume dropping to 30K and then 17K as this season for this variety is nearing its end. Conversely the production of Hass this week was forecast to be 286,000 trays and then is forecast to lift to 308K and then 320K for the following fortnight. These figures will be impacted by local weather conditions - isolated showers have been experienced this week, but weather has been much drier which is pleasing. Dry matter test results conducted to date are ranging 21.2 to 26.4% on medium to large fruit - we are continuing to pick accordingly only fruit from blocks that have dry matter results that exceed 23%. The longer term forecast is for further rain - so harvesting may be interrupted from time to time, but we will keep you all abreast of developments on a week-by-week basis.

Presentation in Qld stores this week was again generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins -most major retailers are still stocking shepards with changeover to Hass next week. Aldi were stocking Greenskins AvoMax range and this fruit was ticketed as Avocado Greenskins selling at $1.79 each - fruit was very firm, but presented well. They were also stocking the Purpleskin Hass also selling at $1.79 each.

Prepack formulations continue for be a value offer and an opportunity to move greater volumes in a single purchase. Aldi were offering their 6 piece nets at $7.49 to $7.79 ea; Woolworths had the 5 pack on offer for $6.50 and the 1kg Odd Bunch ticketed at just $7/bag whilst Coles had both their 5 piece pack and 1kg I’m Perfect packs selling at $8.90ea.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld had Shepard and Hass priced at a competitive $1.79 per single piece (NB their Cooparoo store still had fruit ticketed at $1.59ea); Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed between $1.80 ea to $2.00 ea depending upon store location; whilst Coles in Qld continued their offer of Shepards $1.80 each or 3 for $5.00. Coles at Redbank Plains had shifted their table top display to just inside the store entry, front and centre.

Avocados Australia have commenced their marketing campaign with the launch of “Our Green Gold” commercial bursting onto television screens now through until the end of June which will be supported by social media, digital advertising and public relations.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Below: Coles Cooparoo, Redbank Plains and Forest Lake Displays

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at $1.80 at one store or multibuy 3 for $5.00 everywhere else
Stores had 5 piece packs at $8.90 and the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $8.90/unit - all packs contained Shepards.

Below: Aldi Cooparoo, Redbank Plains and Forest Lake Displays

Stores stocked NQ Greenskins GMax Avos @ $1.79ea, Hass @ $1.79 and 6 piece Shepard at $7.79

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with bruise/body rot or sun blemish.

Below: Woolworths Cooparoo, Goodna and Forest Lake Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $2.00ea - a degree of bruising and rots amongst bottom layers of stock.
5 piece packs at $7.50/ pack and 1kg Odd Bunch for $7.00!
Note Woolworths Goodna shoppers had a “Hass Season has started” notification on the back of their shopper dockets.

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week decreased again by a further 73,000 cartons to a total of 333,516 cartons harvested. The weather in the past week has seen continued dried up a little in comparison to the last couple of weeks but continued to cool off particularly overnight and early mornings in North Qld. Temperatures have been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 13.1-21.9C and maximum day temps of 23.2 to 28.8C. Rainfall since last Wednesday has seen Walkamin receive a further 10mm; Mareeba a further 1mm; Tully another 65mm; and Innisfail another 59mm falling in isolated showers in each region. With the cooling of the seasonal weather the average bunch age will push out, we are now harvesting at 16 weeks and expect this to push out to 17 weeks. National production is expected to be within the region of 350 to 370,000 cartons this week.

Whilst there is still a presence of bat marking, it is significantly less and we are pleased to say that finally we believe we have turned a corner towards better quality fruit. We have been cutting fruit slightly thinner in order to prevent bronzing damage and as already stated average bunch age is now at 16 weeks. With the cooling of overnight and morning temperatures and slightly shorter days we will see production slow somewhat in the coming weeks. We are continuing to grade out excessive bat scratching and visible bronzing defects to ensure fruit is within spec on arrival to our customers. At Banana Congress next week, we are hoping there is a discussion around how we as individual farmers and as an industry can deal with the damage caused by the bats.

Quality on shelf this week was varied - some lines presented very well with minimal marking and good colour, others dull, with bronzing, sap staining and of course some bat/bird marking as you do doubt see in the photos included.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.99/kg; Woolworths at $3.50 to $3.90/kg and Coles offering fruit at$3.90/kg dependent upon the store locality.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Below: Coles Cooparoo, Redbank Plains and Forest Lake Displays

Cavendish was priced at $3.90 - $4.0/kg, with Kids 750g packs also at $3.90
Lady Fingers were $7.90/kg across stores.
Quite a lot of stock was slightly backward, with scarring, rub marking and sap staining evident.

Below: Aldi Cooparoo, Redbank Plains and Forest Lake Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.49-$3.99/kg, again skin marking, rub and sap staining with a percentage of the fruit having a dull appearance.
Lil Snackers packs were priced at $3.29/kg
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $6.99/kg

Below: Woolworths Cooparoo, Goodna and Forest Lake Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.50/kg and Lil Sana kids banded clusters at the same price - there was a degree of skin marking, little bat/bird damage, sooty mould and a fairly high percentage of backward fruit
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $5.00/kg and Organic variety at $5.00/kg

May 04, 2021

2021-Week 17

May 04, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in avocado production accounting for 55% of the total harvest of some 201,877 trays last week; followed by Central Qld with 43%; and the remaining 2% coming from combined regions of Central NSW; South Qld and Sunshine Coast. Whilst this production figure represents a 29% decrease on last week it has to be expected with the weather conditions that have prevailed over the last 7 to 10 days. Pricing continues to be quite stable within the market place. Australian Shepard main sales for premium are in the range of $20 -$30/tray. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $14 --$20 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$30/ctn.

North Qld Shepard avocados are forecast to be lighter again this week with around 100,000 to 120,000 trays forecast. The forecast for the next two week period shows the tray volume dropping to 70K and then 30K as this season for this variety is nearing its end. Conversely the production of Hass this week was forecast to be 128,000 trays and then is forecast to lift to 250K and then 290K for the following fortnight. These figures will be impacted by local weather conditions - rain was present at the beginning of this week with some farms, including our own, electing not to harvest during the wet to minimise the development of nodule damage. However, whilst not beaming sunshine, the weather has improved slightly and has been fine since Wednesday so we have commenced our 2021 Hass harvest. Dry matter test results conducted to date are ranging 21.4 to 25.1% on large fruit - so farms are spot picking large fruit from a few blocks. The longer term forecast is for further rain - so harvesting may be interrupted from time to time, so keep us informed of your harvest plans.

Presentation in stores this week was again generally good with Shepards having good shape and glossy skins. We did find a few count 28’s that were a little misshapen and a few with either bruises or rots.

Prepack formulations offer a great opportunity for both the retailer and the customer alike - offering real value and an opportunity to move greater volumes in a single purchase. Aldi were offering their 6 piece nets at $7.49 ea; Woolworths had the 5 pack on offer for $7.50 and the 1kg Odd Bunch ticketed at just $7/bag whilst Coles had both their 5 piece pack and 1kg I’m Perfect packs selling at $8.90ea.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld price was the most competitive at $1.79 per single piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed between $1.80 ea to $2.00 ea depending upon store location; whilst Coles in Qld continued their offer of Shepards $2 each or 3 for $5.00. It should also be noted that a couple of the Aldi stores visited had commenced stocking new season Hass supplied by Purple Skins - this fruit as you will see in photos had noticeable nodule damage (it had obviously been picked whilst the fruit has been wet) and was rock hard - ticket price was $1.59 each.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Beenleigh, Indooroopilly and Loganholme Displays

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at $2.00 or multibuy 3 for $5.00
Stores had 5 piece packs at $8.90 and the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $8.90/unit.

Above: Aldi Beenleigh, Indooroopilly and Loganholme Displays

Stores stocked NQ Shepards @ $1.79ea, Hass @ $1.59 and 6 piece Shepard at $7.49

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with bruise/body rot.

Above: Woolworths Beenleigh, Indooroopilly and Loganholme Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $2.00ea - a degree of bruising and rots amongst bottom layers of stock.
5 piece packs at $7.50/ pack and 1kg Odd Bunch for $7.50!

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week decreased by almost 38,000 cartons to a total of 406,557 cartons harvested. The weather in the past week has seen continued showery weather, overcast skies and cooler temperatures which is negatively impacting growth rates in North Qld. Temperatures have been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 17.5-22.9C and maximum day temps of 24 to 28.7C. Rainfall since last Wednesday has seen Walkamin receive a further 37mm; Mareeba a further 57mm; Tully another 340mm; and Innisfail another 380mm all of which will impact fruit bloom and will continue to hinder each farms ability to harvest so national production is expected to remain steady or possibly decline to within the range of 360,000 to 380,000 cartons this week.

On our own farm we have been dealing with continuing to grade out bat damage - this protected species has caused significant damage this year. Now in light of recent and prevailing weather we are seeing growth rates slow with average bunch age increasing from 15 weeks to 16, and if cooler, wet weather persists bunch age will very soon be out to 17 weeks - which ultimately means reduced output from the farm. The other defect we are starting to see an increase in with the wet weather and increasing bunch age is bronzing - we will most certainly be trying to grade out what is visible at time of pack, but this is a progressive defect that worsens as the fruit ripens and matures.

Quality on shelf this week has improved slightly with definitely less visible bat marking (more sporadic) , on some lines there is a presence of rust thrip damage, minor neck injuries and general skin marking including point scarring and rub.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.49/kg; Woolworths at $4.00/kg and Coles offering fruit between $1.99 and $3.90/kg dependent upon the store locality.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Beenleigh, Indooroopilly and Loganholme Displays

Cavendish was priced at $3.50 - $4.0/kg, with Kids 750g packs also at $4.00
Lady Fingers were $7.90/kg across stores.
Quite a lot of stock was slightly backward, with scarring, rub marking and sap staining evident.

Above: Aldi Beenleigh, Indooroopilly and Loganholme Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.49/kg, again skin marking, rub and sap staining with a percentage of the fruit having a dull appearance. Fruit sizing also varied significantly.
Lil Snackers packs were priced at $2.99/kg
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $6.99/kg

Above: Woolworths Beenleigh, Indooroopilly and Loganholme Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $4.00/kg and Lil Sana kids banded clusters at the same price - there was a degree of skin marking, little bat/bird damage, sooty mould and a fairly high percentage of backward fruit
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $5.00/kg and Organic variety at $5.00/kg

April 26, 2021

2021-Week 16

April 26, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in production accounting for 66.8% of the total production of some 282,888 trays last week; followed by Central Qld with 31.9%; with the remaining 1% coming from Central NSW and South Qld. Whilst this production represents a 20.6% increase, this includes all varieties including Shepard ((253K), Maluma (15K) and new season Hass (13K). Pricing continues to be quite stable within the market place. Australian Shepard main sales for premium are in the range of $20 -$30/tray. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $14 --$20 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$30/ctn.

North Qld Shepard avocados are forecast to be lighter again next week with around 100,000 trays forecast. The forecast for the week thereafter is 70K with the season for this variety nearing its end. Conversely the production of Hass over this same two week period is forecast to lift to 134K and then 258K in the same timeframe - however these figures will not be accurate if growers haven’t updated their forecasts due to the amount of rain. Please make sure you send us your dry matter test results before you pack anything for the supermarkets as we need to share them with our retail partners. You should also be aware that Coles Victoria has purchased equipment to enable them to conduct dry matter testing on intake - so be assured that any fruit destined for Melbourne will be checked in the first few weeks of supply so we would like to avoid rejections for this by making sure our fruit is good to go from the start.

The weather in far north Queensland has not been conducive to getting a start on picking and packing our Hass avocados with rain in excess of 100-150mm on several days and lighter showers every other day - for this reason we have elected to hold off for dry weather as if me make a start the result is a higher level of nodule damage and there is also a risk of increased rots. We are hoping to commence early next week. Sadly not all growers in the region are withholding from picking in the rain.

Presentation in stores this week was again generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins.

Prepack formulations offer a great opportunity for both the retailer and the customer alike - offering real value and an opportunity to move greater volumes in a single purchase. Aldi were offering their 6 piece nets at $6.99 ea on special and Woolworths have utilised their prepack range this week to attract customers with the 5 pack on special for $7.50 and the 1kg Odd Bunch ticketed at just $6.50/bag.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Lutwyche, Sunnybank Hills and Garden City Displays

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at $1.90 or multibuy 3 for $5.00
Stores had 5 piece packs at $8.90 and the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $6.90/unit.

Above: Aldi Lutwyche, Sunnybank Hills and Garden City Displays

Stores stocked NQ Shepards @ $1.79ea and 6 piece Shepard at $6.99

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with bruise/body rot.

Above: Woolworths Lutwyche, Sunnybank Hills and Garden City Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $1.80ea - a degree of bruising and rots amongst bottom layers of stock.
5 piece packs at $7.50/ pack and 1kg Odd Bunch on special for $6.50!

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week increased by a almost 44,000 cartons to a total of 444,343 cartons harvested. The weather in the past week has been overcast and very wet in a number of areas in the far North with up to 700mm rain across a three day period; temperatures were milder with minimum temperatures ranging 16.3-22C and maximum day temps of 23 to 30.1C. This week of inclement weather will not help fruit bloom and will hinder each farms ability to harvest so national production is expected to decline somewhat to within the range of 380,000 to 400,000 cartons.

Quality on shelf this week has improved slightly with definitely less visible bat marking (more sporadic) , on some lines there is a presence of sooty mould, rust thrip damage, minor neck injuries and general skin marking including point scarring and rub.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.99/kg; Woolworths at $4.50/kg and Coles offering fruit at $4.00/kg dependent upon the store locality. The independent at one outlet had cavendish at $3.29/kg.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Lutwyche, Sunnybank Hills and Garden City Displays

Cavendish was priced at $3.30 - $4.50/kg, with Kids 750g packs also at $3.30
Lady Fingers were $7.90/kg across stores.
Quite a lot of stock was slightly backward, with scarring, rub marking and sap staining evident. Also some very long clusters exceeding 300mm in length.

Above: Aldi Lutwyche, Sunnybank Hills and Garden City Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.99/kg, again skin marking, rub and sap staining with a percentage of the fruit having a dull appearance. Fruit sizing also varied significantly.
Lil Snackers packs were priced at $3.49/kg
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99/kg

Above: Woolworths Lutwyche, Sunnybank Hills and Garden City Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.90/kg and Lil Sana kids banded clusters at the same price - there was a degree of skin marking, little bat/bird damage, sooty mould and a fairly high percentage of backward fruit
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $5.00/kg and Organic variety at $4.90/kg

April 19, 2021

2021-Week 15

April 19, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in production with their Shepard season accounting for 75% of the total production of some 234,651 last week; followed by Central Qld with 24%; with the remaining 1% coming from Central NSW. Pricing has continued its stabilised somewhat in the market place. Australian Shepard main sales for premium are in the range of $20 -$30/tray, odd $32/tray around. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $16 --$20 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$30/ctn.

Shepard avocados are forecast to be lighter again next week with around 150,000 to 170,000 trays expected from growing regions. The forecast for the next two week period shows the tray volume continuing to decline and Hass volumes commencing and steadily increasing with around 200,000 trays expected by first week May. Remember to send us your dry matter test results before you commence harvesting too much fruit and make sure you submit a range of fruit sizing for testing - as even the small fruit used in prepacks has to meet the maturity requirements.

Some action in the prepack market this week with Woolworths having their 1kg Odd Bunch on special @$6.50/bag and 5 piece packs at $7.50 ea in Qld. All major chains still have shepards in their prepack formulations at this stage with a changeover to Hass expected early to mid May.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld price was a competitive $1.49 per piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed anywhere from $1.80/piece to $3.00 ea if price tickets can be believed; whilst Coles in Qld have continued to run fruit at $1.90ea or offer 3 for $5.00 on both Shepards and Maluma’s (Autumn Hass) to stimulate demand. Presentation in stores this week was generally pleasing.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Carindale, Cannon Hill and Wynnum Displays

Coles stores had Count 25/28 Shepard avocado variety priced at $1.90 or multibuy 3 for $5.00
Stores had 5 piece packs at $8.90 and the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $6.90/unit.
The Wynnum store had fruit with significant bruising and body rot

Above: Aldi Carindale, Cannon Hill and Wynnum Displays

Stores stocked NQ Shepards @ $1.49ea and 6 piece Shepard at $7.49. Fruit supplied by Greenskins count 23

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with bruise/body rot.

Above: Woolworths Carindale, Cannon Hill and Wynnum Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $1.80ea- at Carindale and $2/3 at other stores - a degree of bruising and rots amongst bottom layers of stock.
5 piece packs at $7.50/ pack and 1kg Odd Bunch on special for $6.50!

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week was fairly stable with just over 400,000 cartons harvested. National production is expected to be within the range of 380-410K cartons next week. The weather in the past week has been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 17.2 - 24.0C and maximum day temps of 28.1 to 32.9C. Minimal rain in the last week, though Walkamin did have 37mm for the week, though a more significant wet period is forecast for next week particularly for the Innisfail and Tully regions.

Quality on shelf this week whilst slightly improved, continues to be somewhat disappointing with dull, grey/bronzed fruit with various skin markings being a common finding particularly in Coles and Aldi stores - this is most likely as a result of recent weather conditions. Pleased to say however that there is less visible bat/bird marked fruit being seen on retail shelves. All chains had a percentage of semi-coloured or backward fruit on shelf this week.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.99/kg; Woolworths at $3.90/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.30 to $4.50/kg dependent upon the store locality. As already stated, quality varied greatly with a number of lines having visible skin marking including neck damage, bat scratches, sap staining, rust thrip damage and rub marking.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Carindale, Cannon Hill and Wynnum Displays

Cavendish was priced at $3.30 - $4.50/kg, with Kids 750g packs also at $3.30
Lady Fingers were $7.90/kg across stores.
Quite a lot of stock was slightly backward, with scarring, rub marking and sap staining evident. Also some very long clusters exceeding 300mm in length.

Above: Aldi Carindale, Cannon Hill and Wynnum Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.99/kg, again skin marking, rub and sap staining with a percentage of the fruit having a dull appearance. Fruit sizing also varied significantly.
Lil Snackers packs were priced at $3.49/kg
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99/kg

Above: Woolworths Carindale, Cannon Hill and Wynnum Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.90/kg and Lil Sana kids banded clusters at the same price - there was a degree of skin marking, little bat/bird damage, sooty mould and a fairly high percentage of backward fruit
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $5.00/kg and Organic variety at $4.90/kg

April 13, 2021

2021-Week 14

April 13, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in production with their Shepard season accounting for 69% of the total production of some 316,000 trays last week; followed by Central Qld with 30%; with the remaining 1% coming from Central NSW. Pricing appears to have reached a period of temporary stabilisation within the market place. Australian Shepard main sales for premium are in the range of $20 -$30/tray. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $14 --$20 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$30/ctn.

North Qld Shepard avocados are forecast to be lighter next week around 210,000 to 220,000 trays expected from the region. The forecast for the next two week period shows the tray volume starting to decline slightly with harvests within the range of 180,000 to 220,000 per week. Some NQ farms have reportedly completed their Shepard season and are looking to commence picking their Hass from next week. The supermarkets are not looking to changeover to Hass until the first week of May, they may gradually roll a few traditional Hass into a nominated state in the last week of April. Coles have been stocking the Maluma Hass but it has been marketed as the Autumn Hass, over the last few weeks at the same price as the Shepards. Please make sure you have your Hass dry matter tested and ensure you test a sample of all sizes (including down to a count 30-36 equivalent) to ensure both the larger fruit and small fruit (used in prepack formulations) are good to go - please forward these test results to me prior to the arrival of your first consignment so that these can be shared with the chains. It was very disappointing at the start of the Shepard season, when Avocados Australia conducted some random testing of fruit on shelves for fruit maturity, to find only 7 out of 10 being mature - that means 30% were not and more importantly 30% of Australian customers who may have had a poor eating experience and therefore would not repeat purchase. Fruit maturity really is key.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld last week saw shelf prices as follows: Aldi Qld price was the most competitive at $1.79 per single piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed between $1.90 ea to $2.20 ea depending upon store location; whilst Coles in Qld had Shepards $1.90 each or 3 for $5.00. Coles ran a late week special, running Friday to Monday with 3 for $5.00 in Qld and NSW stores to stimulate demand. Prepack formulations offer a great opportunity for both the retailer and the customer alike - offering real value and an opportunity to move greater volumes in a single purchase. Coles have their 1kg I’m Perfect packs on special at $6.50 each and the Woolies at Mt Ommaney had their 1kg Odd Bunch pack on special at just $4.00/pack.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Sunnybank Hills, Garden City and Mt Ommaney Displays

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at $1.90 or multibuy 3 for $5.00
Stores had 5 piece packs at $8.00 and the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $6.50/unit.

Above: Aldi Sunnybank Hills, Garden City and Mt Ommaney Displays

Stores stocked NQ Shepards @ $1.79ea and 6 piece Shepard at $7.99. Fruit supplied by Greenskins count 23/25

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with bruise/body rot.

Above: Woolworths Sunnybank Hills, Garden City and Mt Ommaney Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $1.90ea- Count 28 at Sunnybank Hills and $2.20 at other stores - a degree of bruising and rots amongst bottom layers of stock.
5 piece packs at $8.00/ pack and 1kg Odd Bunch on special for $4.00!

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week was fairly stable just shy of 361,000 cartons harvested in the last week. National production is expected to be within the range of 360-370K cartons next week- it was actually 400K. The weather in the past week has been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 17.9-23.6C and maximum day temps of 26.4to 33.7C. In terms of rainfall, there has been a few showers along the coast, less in the hinterland.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish last week varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.29/kg; Woolworths at $3.30 to $3.90/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.80/kg dependent upon the store locality. The independent at one outlet had cavendish at $2.99/kg.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Sunnybank Hills, Garden City and Mt Ommaney Displays

Cavendish was priced at $3.80, with Kids 750g packs also at $3.80
Lady Fingers were $7.90/kg across stores.
Quite a lot of stock was slightly backward, less than previous weeks though, with scarring, rub marking and sap staining evident

Above: Aldi Sunnybank Hills, Garden City and Mt Ommaney Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.29, again skin marking, rub and sap staining. Fruit sizing also varied significantly.
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99

Above: Woolworths Sunnybank Hills, Garden City and Mt Ommaney Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.90/kg and Lil Sana kids banded clusters at the same price. Banana displays were brighter in terms of colour and bloom at these stores - there was a degree of skin marking, little bat/bird damage but overall a good presentation
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $5.00 and Organic variety at $4.90

April 06, 2021

2021-Week 13

April 06, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in production with their Shepard season accounting for 85% of the total production of some 266,000 last week; followed by Central Qld with 15%. Pricing is still trending downwards within the market place. Australian Shepard main sales for premium are in the range of $20 -$30/tray, with $30 being absolute top. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $14 --$20 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$30/ctn.

North Qld Shepard avocado production for next week is forecast to be within a range of 220,000 to 230,000 trays expected from the region. The forecast for the next two week period shows the tray volume starting to decline slightly with harvests within the range of 162,000 to 213,000 per week. Presentation in stores this week was again generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins.

Prepack formulations offer a great opportunity for both the retailer and the customer alike - offering real value and an opportunity to move greater volumes in a single purchase. All major supermarkets now have their 5 or 6 piece prepacks as well as their value 1kg nets filled with Shepards.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld had a red hot ticket price of $1.49 per piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed at $1.90 ea whilst Coles in Qld had Shepards $1.90 each or their multibuy offer of 3 for $5.00 was extended through to Easter. It was also noted that the Maluma Hass, branded as Autumn Avocado’s marketed by Mackays, were on a number of Coles shelves also retailing at the same price as the Shepards ie $1.90 ea - fruit observed this week was very firm and a few pieces had sun blemish.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Browns Plains Display

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at 3 for $5.00 or singularly for $1.90ea
Stores had 5 piece packs at $8.90 and the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $6.90/unit.

Above: Aldi Browns Plains Display

Stores stocked NQ Shepards @ $1.49ea and 6 piece Shepard at $7.99. Fruit supplied by Greenskins packed 18th March = 13 days old, count 23/25

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage, a little nodule damage present - odd piece found with bruise/body rot.

Above: Woolworths Browns Plains Display

All stores had Shepard avocados at $1.90ea- Count 28 supplied by grower Cadorin Orchards - odd piece with bruising.
5 piece packs at $8.00/ pack - 3 different suppliers of this line on shelf, and 1kg Odd Bunch on special for $7.50

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week was fairly stable with just under 363,000 cartons harvested - a slight increase on the previous week of 2,000 cartons. National production is expected to be within the range of 360-370K cartons next week. The weather in the past week has been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 18.3 - 24C and maximum day temps of 27.2 to 33.4C. Minimal rain in the last week though more is forecast late in the week particularly for the Innisfail and Tully regions.

Quality on shelf this week has improved somewhat on previous trading weeks with less dull, grey/bronzed fruit and skin marking was also less than previous weeks. The Woolworths offering in this centre was best on show this week.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.29/kg; Woolworths at $3.30/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.50/kg in the centre visited - only one store visited due to Brisbane being in Covid lockdown.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Browns Plains Display

Cavendish was priced at $3.50, with Kids 750g packs also at $3.50
No Lady Fingers in stock at this store today.
Quite a lot of stock was slightly backward, with scarring, rub marking, sap staining

Above: Aldi Browns Plains Display

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.29, again skin marking, rub and sap staining. Fruit sizing also varied significantly.
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99

Above: Woolworths Browns Plains Display

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.30/kg and Lil Sana kids banded clusters at the same price. Banana displays were brighter in terms of colour and bloom at this store - there was a presence of minor skin marking, little bat/bird damage but overall very good presentation
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $4.50 and Organic variety at $4.90

March 30, 2021

2021-Week 12

March 30, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in production with their Shepard season accounting for 82% of the total production of some 278,000 last week; followed by Central Qld with 17%; with the remaining 1% coming from Central NSW. Pricing has continued its downward trend as volumes increase in the market place. Australian Shepard main sales for premium are in the range of $20 -$30/tray, odd $32/tray around. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $16 --$20 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$30/ctn.

North Qld Shepard avocados are forecast to be lighter next week with Easter late in the week with around 230,000 to 240,000 trays expected from the region. The forecast for the next two week period shows the tray volume starting to decline slightly with harvests within the range of 210,000 to 220,00 per week. Presentation in stores this week was again generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins.

Prepack formulations offer a great opportunity for both the retailer and the customer alike - offering real value and an opportunity to move greater volumes in a single purchase. All major supermarkets now have their 5 or 6 piece prepacks as well as their value 1kg nets filled with shepards.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld price was a competitive $1.99 per piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed at $2.20 ea whilst Coles in Qld had Shepards $2.00 each. Coles ran a late week special, running Friday to Monday with 3 for $5.00 in Qld and NSW stores to stimulate demand.

The humble Shepard has been copping some slack in the media this week, first there was an article in “Delicious” magazine that reported a few incorrect facts about the Shepard and then Brisbane radio station B105’s breakfast crew painted an unflattering picture of the qualities and flavour of the Shepard. Not happy with this, Rock Ridge sprang into action alerting Avocados Australia so that as an industry these two media outlets could be approached and the facts put straight and we also delivered a tray of beautiful Shepards to the radio station which gained an on-air apology from the team and a declaration about how good the Shepard avocado is!

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Mt Ommaney, Indooroopilly and Fairfield Displays

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at $2.00ea
All stores had 5 piece packs at $7.90 and the stores who were stocking the 1kg I’m Perfect net were selling at $6.90/unit.

Above: Aldi Mt Ommaney, Indooroopilly and Fairfield Displays

Stores stocked both NQ Shepards @ $1.99ea, Lil Snackers packs at $2.99 and 6 piece Shepard at $7.99. Fruit supplied by Freshmax/DBM with Ferraro Farming fruit packed 10th March = 14 days old, count 23/25 and a little Howe Farming fruit.

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with bruise/body rot.

Above: Woolworths Mt Ommaney, Indooroopilly and Moorooka Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $2.20ea - Count 20 supplied by Greenskins packed 11th March (13 days old); Mackays (Leadwood packed 12th March = 12 days old and Howe Farming packed 8th and 9th March = 15-16 days old) - a degree of bruising and rots amongst bottom layers of stock.
5 piece packs at $7 to $8.00/ pack and 1kg Odd Bunch for $8.00
3 Piece Large Hass packs at $8.00ea
Organic packs (mini 550g pack) at $12.90ea

Woolworths new shepard avocado header cards provide valuable info to customers

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week was fairly stable with just under 361,000 cartons harvested. National production is expected to be within the range of 360-370K cartons next week. The weather in the past week has been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 18.0 - 24.3C and maximum day temps of 28.9 to 34.1C. Minimal rain in the last week though more is forecast late in the week particularly for the Innisfail and Tully regions.

Quality on shelf this week was again quite disappointing with dull, grey/bronzed fruit with various skin markings being a common finding particularly in Coles and Aldi stores - this is most likely as a result of recent weather conditions. Pleased to say however that there is less visible bat/bird marked fruit being seen on retail shelves.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.29/kg; Woolworths at $3.30 to $3.90/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.50 to $3.90/kg dependent upon the store locality. As already stated, quality varied greatly with a number of lines having visible skin marking including neck damage, sap staining, rust thrip damage and rub marking.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Mt Ommaney, Indooroopilly and Fairfield Displays

Cavendish was priced at $3.90 at Indooroopilly and $3.50 at Mt Ommaney and Fairfield, with Kids 750g packs at the same prices respectively.
Lady Fingers were $7.90/kg across all stores.
Quite a lot of stock was dull, greying, with neck injuries, scarring, rub marking, sap staining and what appeared to be sooty mould was evident on both cavendish and lady fingers.

Above: Aldi Mt Ommaney, Indooroopilly and Fairfield Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.29, again skin marking, rub, sap staining as well as quite a lot of backward fruit. Fruit sizing also varied significantly.
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99 and Kids 750g packs at $2.99

Above: Woolworths Mt Ommaney, Indooroopilly and Moorooka Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.30/kg at both Mt Ommaney and Indooroopilly stores, however they were $3.90/kg at Moorooka and Lil Sana kids banded clusters at the same price respectively. Banana displays were brighter in terms of colour and bloom at these stores - there was a degree of skin marking, little bat/bird damage but overall a better presentation.
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90/kg at Mt Ommaney and Moorooka and $7.50/kg at Indooroopilly.
Stores also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $4.50 and Organic variety at $4.90

March 22, 2021

2021-Week 11

March 22, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in production with their Shepard season accounting for 79% of total production last week; followed by Central Qld with 17%; with the remaining 4% coming from Central NSW and New Zealand. Pricing has continued its downward trend as volumes increase in the market place. Australian Shepard main sales for premium are in the range of $26 -$33/tray, odd $34 around. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $18 --$22 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nd bulks $10 --$30/ctn.

North Qld Shepard avocados are expected to again increase in numbers this coming week with a forecast of 270,000 trays from the region. The forecast for the next two week period shows the tray volume starting to decline slightly with 250,000 expected next week and then 200,000 the week after. Presentation in stores this week was again generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins. A number of farms, including our own, have had issues with spotting bug - it is essential we grade out any affected pieces as they are deemed by all the major chains as unacceptable.

The availability of suitably sized Australian Shepards for formulation of prepacks is seeing both the 5 pack options and 1kg bags starting to be stocked on supermarket shelves. All major supermarkets now have their 5 or 6 piece prepack offers filled with shepards. Both Coles and Woolworths have 1kg options on offer with respective Ïm Perfect or Odd Bunch also filled with shepard avocados.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld price was a competitive $1.79 per piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed at $2.00 ea whilst Coles in Qld had Shepards with a ticket of 2 for $4.00 or $2.20 singularly. The majority of fruit was of sound quality, odd findings of skin marking and a low level of lenticel damage.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Springwood, Ipswich and Browns Plains Displays

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at $2.20ea or multibuy offer 2 for $4.00
All stores had 1kg Odd Bunch packs for $7.50
Coles Springwood had 5 piece packs at $8.90

Above: Aldi Springwood, Ipswich and Browns Plains Displays

Stores stocked both NQ Shepards @ $1.79ea and 6 piece Shepard at $7.99

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality and colour with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with body rot.

Above: Woolworths Springwood, Ipswich and Browns Plains Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $2.00ea
5 piece packs at $7.00-8.00
1kg Odd Bunch packs at $8.00

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week was still in recovery mode post the tropical low, known as Cyclone Niran, with a increase of 5.2% on the previous week which equated to an additional 18,149 cartons, meaning the total was just nudging over 364,000. National production is expected to be within the range of 380-400K cartons next week. The weather in the past week has been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 18.5 - 22.7C and maximum day temps of 29.8 to 31.4C. There was definitely less rain in the far north with just a few light showers mainly in the Innisfail and Tully regions, though Walkamin did have a storm early in the week.

Quality on shelf this week was again disappointing with grey to bronzed dull, marked fruit being a common finding - this is most likely as a result of recent weather conditions. On our own farms, we continue to grade heavily for bat scratching with this issue expected for another three to four weeks. Waste relating to grade outs of bat marked fruit continues to be in the vicinity of 30-35% of each days pack out - we will continue to be vigilant in this respect to ensure inclusion in our carton is kept to an acceptable level.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets with Aldi offering fruit at $3.29/kg; Woolworths at $3.30 to $3.90/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.50 to $3.90/kg dependent upon the store locality. As already stated, quality varied greatly with a number of lines having visible skin marking including bat scratching, sap staining, rust thrip damage, neck injuries and rub marking.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Springwood, Ipswich and Browns Plains Displays

Cavendish was priced at $3.50 at the Ipswich store, and $3.90 at Springwood and Browns Plains, with Kids 750g packs at the same prices respectively
Lady Fingers were $7.90 across the board
Quite a lot of stock was backwards and some serious sap staining and bat marking was evident on both cavendish and lady fingers.

Above: Aldi Springwood, Ipswich and Browns Plains Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.29, some with skin markings and sap staining as well as quite a lot of backward fruit
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99

Above: Woolworths Springwood, Ipswich and Browns Plains Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.30 and kids packs also at $3.30
Lady fingers were priced at $7.90 and the Browns Plains store also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $4.50

March 11, 2021

2021-Week 10

March 11, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

North Qld maintains the lead in production with their Shepard season accounting for 67% of total production last week; followed by New Zealand with 18%; Central Qld at 14% and the remaining 1% coming from Central NSW. Pricing has continued its downward trend as volumes increases in the market place. There were another couple of arrivals of NZ Hass last week with premium trays still selling in the range of $30 --$40/tray dependent upon size. This week saw Australian Shepard main sales for premium in the range of $28 -$34/tray. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) was ranging $20 --$26 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nds $10 --$30/ctn. All pricing was trending downward by the end of the week.

North Qld Shepard avocados are expected to again increase in numbers this coming week with a forecast of 240,000 trays from the region. In fact the forecast for the next four week period has the tray volume sitting between 240 - 250,000 per week. Presentation in stores this week was again generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins. A number of farms, including our own, have had issues with spotting bug, despite implementing preventative spraying programmes as well as control spraying as populations have been detected. We have reset our grading cameras and trained staff in detection, in an effort to remove as many affected pieces as possible.

The availability of suitably sized Australian Shepards for formulation of prepacks is seeing both the 5 pack options and 1kg bags growing in number on supermarket shelves. Aldi this week still had NZ fruit filling their order for their 6 piece bags in most stores.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld price was a competitive $1.99 per piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed at $2.00 ea whilst Coles in Qld had now swapped over to Shepards with a ticket of 2 for $4.00 or $2.20 singularly. The majority of fruit was of sound quality, odd findings of skin marking and a low level of lenticel damage. Late week specials in Coles Vic and SA have shepards selling 2 for $3.50.

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Sunnybank Hills, Cannon Hill and Garden City Mt Gravatt Displays

Coles stores had Shepard avocado variety priced at $2.20ea or multibuy offer 2 for $4.00
All stores had 1kg Odd Bunch packs for $7.50
Coles Cannon Hill had 5 piece packs at $8.90

Above: Aldi Sunnybank Hills, Cannon Hill and Garden City Mt Gravatt Displays

Stores stocked both NQ Shepards @ $1.99ea, 6 piece Shepard at $7.99 and 6 piece Hass at $8.99

All fruit was well stocked and of good quality and colour with minimal bruising/damage - odd piece found with sunburn or body rot.

Above: Woolworths Sunnybank Hills, Cannon Hill and Garden City Mt Gravatt Displays

All stores had Shepard avocados at $2.00ea
5 piece packs at $8.00
1kg Odd Bunch packs at $8.50

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week was significantly impacted by the blow through of the tropical low, known as Cyclone Niran, with a decrease of 24.4% which equated to -112,207 cartons less than the previous week. National production was expected to be within the range of 450-470K cartons however with the devastating wind storm causing an average industry loss of 20-25% this was definitely not achievable. It is important to note that the impact of this tropical low varied greatly at an individual level; with some smaller to medium sized farms suffering a much greater percentage loss. In the days immediately following the weather event, affected growers spent a great deal of time salvaging fruit from bent bunches, mulching, tidying and repairing their farms. The weather in the past week has been milder with minimum temperatures ranging 19.4 - 26.0C and maximum day temps of 29.4 to 32.4C. The rain has continued to fall intermittently in North Qld with recordings of 10 -15 mm in Mareeba, Innisfail and Tully across the week; and a further 41mm fell in Walkamin since last Wednesday.

Quality on shelf this week was very disappointing with grey to bronzed dull, marked fruit being a common finding. The presence of dull fruit perhaps relates to fruit age and storage conditions. On our own farms, we continue to grade heavily for bat scratching with this issue expected for another four to five weeks. Waste relating to grade outs of bat marked fruit continues to be in the vicinity of 30-35% of each days pack out - we will continue to be vigilant in this respect to ensure inclusion in our carton is kept to an acceptable level.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied between the major supermarkets and for a change Aldi did not have the cheapest ticket price. This week saw Aldi selling at $3.29/kg; Woolworths at $3.00/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.00 to $3.50/kg dependent upon the store locality. As already stated, quality also varied greatly with a number of lines having visible skin marking including bat scratching, sap staining, rust thrip damage, neck injuries and rub marking.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Sunnybank Hills, Cannon Hill and Garden City Mt Gravatt Displays

With Sunnybank Hills with no Cavendish stocked, Cannon Hill at $3.50 and Garden City at $3.00, Coles was not consistent
However Lady Fingers were $7.90 across the board, as were the kids packs, all at $3.50
Some stock was backwards and some serious sap staining was evident

Above: Aldi Sunnybank Hills, Cannon Hill and Garden City Mt Gravatt Displays

All stores had Cavendish @ $3.29, some with skin markings and sap staining as well as quite a lot of backward fruit
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99

Above: Woolworths Sunnybank Hills, Cannon Hill and Garden City Mt Gravatt Displays

Woolworths had Cavendish bananas priced at $3.00 and kids packs also at $3.00
Sunnybank Hills and Garden city stores had Lady fingers at $7.50, whilst Cannon Hill priced them at $6.90
The Garden city store also stocked Red tip variety, ticketed at $3.90

March 08, 2021

2021-Week 9

March 08, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The North Qld Shepard season is finally here and Qld takes the lead accounting for 68% of total production last week; followed by New Zealand with 26%; Central Qld supplying 4% and the remaining 2% coming from Central NSW and WA. Pricing has come back in the market place with further shipments of Chilean fruit arriving with fruit still selling from $10.00-$20.00/tray. Premium quality NZ tray fruit still selling in the range of $36 --$40/tray dependent upon size - still moderate volumes of NZ fruit within the marketplace which is expected to continue for at least another couple of weeks. Australian Shepard main sales for premium in the range of $28 -$34/tray. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $20 --$26 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $40 --$45/ctn and for class one and 2nds $10 --$30/ctn.

New season North Qld Shepard avocados, have again increased slightly in volume climbing from of 145,000 trays to 176,000 last week with a predicted 220,000 for next week from the region. Presentation is generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins. A number of farms, including our own, have had issues with spotting bug, despite implementing preventative spraying programmes as well as control spraying as populations have been detected. We have reset our grading cameras and trained staff in detection, in an effort to remove as many affected pieces as we possibly can. Rain in the region has continued to impact harvesting for a number of farms this week with 40-50mm in most areas - it is North Qld after all! With increased rain during harvest periods there is an increased risk of development of rots, so the application of approved fungicide treatments in the wash is a must.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld price was a competitive $1.79 per piece; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed at $2.00-$2.20 ea whilst Coles in Qld were still displaying NZ Skylark Hass with pricing of $2.00ea - most observed fruit was of sound quality, odd findings of body rot and bruising and a low level of lenticel damage.

SUPERMARKET PRICING FOR THIS WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Gleneg SA, Carindale and Greenslopes Displays

Loose Shepards $2.00ea in SA and Greenslopes and $1.80 at Carindale, mix of ripe and firm fruit
Carindale had Hass for $2.00ea also
1kg netted bags at $10.50 ea
$7.50 for 5 piece nets in QLD

Above: Aldi Carindale and Drewvale Displays

Stores stocked both NQ Shepards @ $1.799ea and 6 piece Hass at $7.99
All fruit was well stocked and of good quality and colour with minimal bruising/damage

Above: Woolworths Gleneg SA, Carindale and Parkinson

All stores had Shepard avocados at $2.20ea
5 piece packs at $7.50
1kg Odd Bunch packs at $9.50
Organic Hass 3 packs @ $9.00ea

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week reduced slightly by -6,764 cartons to a total of 458,276 cartons which represents a decrease of 1.4% on the previous week. National production was expected next week to be within the range of 450-470K cartons however with the devastating wind storm associated with offshore tropical low (Cyclone Niran) this will result in much more fruit on the market than first forecast, as growers try to tidy their farms in the days following these storms. The weather in the past week has been nothing short of unbelievable and as a result farms suffered losses in the range of 5 to 100%, depending upon their location in relation to the funneling winds. The ground was already soft from decent rainfalls in the preceding weeks and with winds up to speeds of 90-120km/hr in the region many banana plants simply bent in half and some plants were rolled over. Growing regions including Cowley, Mourilyan and Innisfail were some of the worst hit, but the reach of these storms was quite astounding with our own farm at Mareeba also suffering a loss of approximately 20% of the plants under production. The rain continued to fall intermittently in North Qld last week with a further recordings of 40 -70 mm in both Mareeba and Walkamin since last Wednesday; whilst Innisfail had approx. 250mm for the week; and the Tully region had a little less with approx. 120mm for the week.

Whilst quality on shelf this week was a little better than last week, quality in general continues to be quite mixed on shelf with bat and bird damage, sap staining and minor skin marking detracting from some displays. There is also a presence of dull fruit perhaps relating to fruit age and storage conditions. On our own farms, we continue to grade heavily for bat scratching with this issue expected for another five to six weeks. In addition to the loss as a result of the tropical low, waste relating to grade outs of bat marked fruit has been in the vicinity of 30-35% of each days pack out - we will continue to be vigilant in this respect to ensure inclusion in our carton is kept to an acceptable level.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied significantly between the major supermarkets with Aldi's ticket price at $2.99/kg; Woolworths at $3.00 to $3.90/kg and Coles offering fruit at $2.00 to $3.50/kg dependent upon the store locality. Quality also varied greatly with a number of lines having visible skin marking including bat scratching, sap staining, rust thrip damage, neck injuries and rub marking.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Gleneg SA, Carindale and Greenslopes

Gleneg and Greenslopes were retailing Cavendish @ $3.90 per kg- some minor neck injury, sap staining and scarring was visible. Fruit on display at Carindale was selling at $3.00 per kg
Greenslopes Coles also had Lady Fingers priced at $7.90 (although very low stock) and kids packs on sale at $1.95.

Above: Aldi Carindale and Drewvale

Both stores had Cavendish @ $2.99, some with skin markings and sap staining as well as some backward fruit
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99

Above: Woolworths Gleneg SA, Carindale and Parkinson

Carindale and Parkinson stores had Cavendish bananas priced @ $3.00 per kg and Lil Sana packs also at $3.00 whilst Gleneg SA Woolworths has Cavendish at $3.90 per kg and Lil Sana packs at $2.50.
Gleneg Woolworths had Lady Fingers at $7.90/kg whilst Carindale had Lady Fingers at $6.90
Carindale had Red tips at $4.50/kg

March 01, 2021

2021-Week 8

March 01, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

Fruit still primarily coming from New Zealand accounting for 49% of the production last week; followed by North Qld with 45%; WA’s contribution has fallen to 4%. The remaining 2% came from Central NSW and Central Qld. Pricing has come back in the market place with Chilean fruit still selling from $10.00-$20.00/tray, NZ fruit is selling $10 --$40/tray and new season Shepards main sales for premium in the range of $36 --$40/tray. New season North Qld Shepards, have again increased slightly in volume climbing to a supply of 133,000 trays last week with a predicted 145,000 to be packed this week from the region. Presentation is generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins. Rain in the region has continued to impact harvesting for a number of farms this week. Whilst other farms have completed spot picks and are allowing their crops to continue sizing up before going back in to harvest further. Premium quality NZ tray fruit still selling in the range of $40 --$45/tray dependent upon size - still good volumes of NZ fruit within the marketplace which is expected to continue for at least another week with final supplies being airfreighted to Australia being given priority over other fruits coming from NZ. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $26 --$34 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $42 --$50/ctn and for class one and 2nds $10 --$25/ctn.

The availability of suitably sized Shepards for formulation of prepacks should be on target for the changeover from NZ Hass to Australian grown Shepards from next week. There may well still be some New Zealand sourced fruit continued to be used in the formulation of 5 and 6 piece value propositions for some customers.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi Qld price lifted to $2.29 per piece whilst Aldi Victoria celebrated the commencement of their Shepard season with a catalogue price special on count 23/25's at $1.99ea; Woolworths Qld had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed at $2.00 ea whilst Coles in Qld were still displaying NZ Skylark Hass with a multi-purchase offer of 2 for $4.00 or if purchased singularly $2.50ea - this fruit was of sound quality and unlike last week, there was a good mix of maturity on offer. Fruit quality on display this week was generally good though there are a few issues with some lines developing anthracnose/body rots amongst Shepard supplies.

SUPERMARKET PRICING FOR THIS WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Capalaba, Forest Lake and Fairfield Displays

Loose NZ Skylark Hass $2.50ea or 2 for $4 at stores, mix of ripe and firm fruit
5 pack netted bags at $10.50 ea

Above: Aldi Capalaba, Forest Lake and Fairfield Stores

All stores stocked both NQ Shepards @ $2.29ea and 6 piece Hass at $6.99

Above: Woolworths Capalaba, Forest Lake and Moorooka

All stores had Shepard avocados at $2.00ea
Capalaba and Moorooka had Hass 5 piece packs at $8.00
Capalaba and Forest Lake had 1kg Odd Bunch packs at $9.00
Capalaba also had new 3 piece Hass packs at $9.00

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week reduced slightly by 15,448 cartons to a total of 465,040 cartons which represents a decrease of 3.2% on the previous week. National production is expected to be within the range of 450-470K cartons next week. The weather in the past week has seen minimum temps of 19.7 - 22.7C and maximum day temps of 25.3 to 34.3C across all North Qld growing regions. The rain continued to fall intermittently in North Qld last week with a further 40 mm in Mareeba since last Wednesday; whilst the Tully region has had a further rainfall of 314mm for the week up to today with the heaviest day being last Friday with gauges reading of 129.6mm; meanwhile Innisfail’s heaviest day in the last week was also last Friday with a further fall of 88.4mm. Whilst there was some localized flooding experienced last week in relation to the Herbert and Tully river levels rising, this has now eased.

Quality continues to be quite mixed on store shelves with bat and bird damage, sap staining and minor skin marking detracting from fruit appearance. On our own farms, despite grading out the worst of the fruit affected by bat scratching we have not been happy regarding feedback we have received, so this week in the pack shed we have graded even harder discarding more fruit in an effort to ensure good shelf appearance. Waste this week has been in the vicinity of 35-45% of each days pack out due to the amount of damage the local bat population has caused. We will be keen to see how the fruit being sent from farm this week looks after ripening. We expect bat scratched fruit from our region to be in the system for at least a further 6 weeks.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Capalaba, Forest Lake and Fairfield

Forest Lake and Fairfield were retailing Cavendish @ $3.50 per kg- some minor neck injury, sap staining, scarring were visible. Fruit on display at Capalaba was selling at $2.00 per kg
All stores also retailing the 750g kids banded clusters @ $3.00ea
Lady Fingers selling @ $7.90 per kg

Above: Aldi Capalaba, Forest Lake and Fairfield

All stores had Cavendish @ $2.99, some with skin markings and sap staining
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99, some also with skin markings
Lil Snackers packs were priced at $2.49

Above: Woolworths Capalaba, Forest Lake and Moorooka

Capalaba and Forest Lake stores had Cavendish bananas priced @ $3.00 per kg and Lil Sana packs also at $3.00
Moorooka Woolworths had Cavendish at $3.90/kg and Lil Sana packs at $3.50
All stores had Lady Fingers at $6.90/kg with two of the stores needing to refill displays.

February 22, 2021

2021-Week 7

February 22, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

Fruit still primarily coming from New Zealand accounting for 56% of the production last week; followed by North Qld with 34%; WA’s contribution has fallen to 8% and the remaining 2% coming from Central NSW/Tristate regions. Pricing is vey mixed in the market place Chilean fruit is selling from $5.00-$20.00/tray, NZ fruit is selling $10 --$40/tray whilst there is still some Australian Hass selling up to $60.00/tray and new season Shepards main sales for premium in the range of $40 --$45/tray last week. New season North Qld Shepards, have again increased slightly in volume and this is expected to gradually climb reaching approximately 250,000 trays per week in another two - three weeks time to be harvested/ week. Presentation is generally good with fruit having good shape and glossy skins. Rain in the region has continued to impact harvesting for a number of farms this week, with some very heavy falls today up to 83mm and more expected in the latter part of the week. Premium quality NZ tray fruit still selling in the range of $40 --$45/tray dependent upon size - still good volumes of NZ fruit within the marketplace which is expected to continue for at least another fortnight. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $26 --$34 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $38 --$40/ctn and for class one and 2nds $10 --$25/ctn. The availability of suitably sized Shepards for formulation of prepacks at this stage of the season whilst is picking up slowly is still limited as most growers are still focusing on picking larger fruit and allowing smaller fruit to continue to size up on the tree. New Zealand sourced fruit continues to be the main supply when it comes to the formulation of 5 and 6 piece value propositions for all major supermarkets on the east coast of Australia with changeover to Shepard prepack options expected at the end of this month.

In terms of Shepard retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows: Aldi had celebrated the commencement of their Shepard season with a catalogue price special on count 23/25's at $1.99ea; whilst Woolworths had prominently positioned instore displays of Shepards ticketed at $2.50 ea. Coles in Qld were still displaying NZ Skylark Hass on shelf with a multi-purchase offer of 2 for $5.00 or if purchased singularly $2.90ea - this fruit was of sound quality but quite firm. Fruit quality on display this week in general, saw a reasonable mix of maturity, the Shepards on display in Woolworths stores were of mixed quality - with the presence of some anthracnose rot and breakdown found throughout trays in the stores visited.

SUPERMARKET PRICING FOR THIS WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Kenmore, Indooroopilly and Garden City Displays

Loose NZ Skylark Hass $2.90ea or 2 for $5 at stores, mix of ripe and firm fruit
5 pack netted bags at $8.90 ea

Above: Aldi Calamvale, Indooroopilly and Garden City Stores

Aldi Indooroopilly stocked both NZ Hass @ $2.49 and NQ Shepards @ $1.99ea
Aldi Calamvale and Garden City only stocked NZ Hass from Avoco (Skylark fruit) selling @ $2.49ea
All stores had 6 piece nets of NZ Hass retailing @ $8.99

Above: Woolworths Kenmore, Indooroopilly and Garden City

Woolworths Kenmore had a new season Shepard display positioned prominently in the department, count 23 fruit packed 29th Jan from Greenskins meant that fruit was 18 days old, selling @ $2.20ea.
Woolworths Indooroopilly also had new season NQ Shepards selling @ $2.50ea, from Greenskins, count 20 packed on the 2nd of Feb, this fruit displayed some significant bruising with some squashed fruit
Woolworths Garden City also had Shepard avocados on display, priced at $2.50ea

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week increased by 32,812 cartons to a total of 480,488 cartons which represents a further increase of 7.3% on the previous week. National production is expected to be within the range of 460-480K cartons next week. The weather in the past week has seen minimum temps of 20.5 - 24.7C and maximum day temps of 28.3 to 32.3C across all North Qld growing regions. North Qld also experienced a couple of days of heavier rainfall with 3.4 mm in Mareeba last Wednesday; whilst the Tully region since Monday has had a further rainfall of 143mm for the week up to today with the heaviest day being today with guages reading of 83.2mm; meanwhile Innisfail had a further fall of 42.4mm today. There is further rain forecast for Friday and Saturday, if this continues to be in the vicinity of 80-100mm per day there is a high risk of flooding, particularly in the Tully district.

Quality has been quite mixed with bat and bird damage seen on shelves, a little rust thrip damage, sap staining and minor skin marking detracting from fruit appearance. Our own farm has been affected by bats and we are wasting in the vicinity of 30-40% of each days pack out due to the amount of damage. Our Farm Manager and his packing team are working hard to grade out as much as possible so that our fruit has good shelf appearance and will still meet quality specifications. Dependent upon the direction the bat population are travelling, some blocks are worse affected than others.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied significantly between the major supermarkets with Aldi's ticket price at $2.99/kg; Woolworths at $3.00/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.00 to $3.90/kg. Quality also varied greatly with a number of lines having visible skin marking, sap staining, rust thrip damage, neck injuries and rub marking - it was also noted that a number of stores had fruit with girths that exceeded spec.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Kenmore, Indooroopilly and Garden City

All stores were retailing Cavendish @ $3.90 per kg- some minor neck injury, sap staining, scarring were visible. Fruit on display at Kenmore was grey with some overfull fingers found splitting.
Both stores also retailing the 750g kids banded clusters @ $3.00ea
Lady Fingers selling @ $7.90 per kg and Red Tips at $5.00

Above: Aldi Calamvale, Indooroopilly and Garden City

All stores had Cavendish @ $2.99, some with skin markings and sap staining
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99, some also with skin markings

Above: Woolworths Kenmore, Indooroopilly and Garden City

All stores had Cavendish bananas priced @ $3.00 per kg
Kids packs were also @ $3.00 while Organic variety and red tips were priced @ $4.50 and Lady Fingers @ $6.90

February 15, 2021

2021-Week6

February 15, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

Fruit still primarily coming from New Zealand accounting for 47% of the production this week; followed by North Qld with 33%; WA who contributed 18% and the remaining 2% coming from Central NSW. Pricing is vey mixed in the market place Chilean fruit is selling from $5.00/tray, NZ fruit with colour is selling $8 --$10/tray whilst there is still some Australian Hass selling up to $65.00/tray and new season Shepards main sales for premium in the range of $42 --$50/tray last week. New season North Qld Shepards, have increased slightly in volume, lifting last week to 93K trays from the region. Presentation is generally very good. Rain in the region last week hampered picking a little but rather than prolonged periods of wet weather, it has been the isolated day of heavy rain e.g. up to 70mm on Wednesday in Mareeba. More rain is predicted for late this week. Supply is expected to increase steadily over the next few weeks. Premium quality NZ tray fruit still selling in the range of $40 --$50/tray dependent upon size this is not expected to hold and may come back by the end of the week. Pricing for class one fruit (main sales) is ranging $28 --$36 per tray; whilst the bulk market has been experiencing prices for premium in the range of $45 --$55/ctn and for class one and 2nds $8 --$20/ctn. There is limited supply of suitably sized Shepards for formulation of prepacks at this stage of the season as most growers are still only spot picking larger fruit and as such New Zealand sourced fruit continues to be the sole supply when it comes to the formulation of 5 and 6 piece value propositions for all major supermarkets on the east coast of Australia. The major supermarkets are intending to changeover to Shepard prepack options at the end of this month.

In terms of Hass retail pricing in Qld shelf prices were as follows Aldi had the best retail offer of count 23/25's at $2.49ea whilst Coles had fruit at $2.90 ea and Woolworths had a ticket price of $2.70ea to $3.00ea. Whilst both Coles and Aldi were still primarily offering NZ Hass, Woolworths Qld had good Shepard Avocado displays taking front and centre these were priced the same as Hass in stores that stocked both. Fruit quality on display this week saw a reasonable mix of maturity on offer, with some ready to eat now in most stores frequented.

SUPERMARKET PRICING FOR THIS WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

Above: Coles Cooparoo and Coles Woodridge Displays

Loose NZ Skylark Hass $2.90ea at both stores, mix of ripe and firm fruit
5 pack netted bags at $9.90 ea, odd piece squashed within bag

Above: Aldi Coorparoo and Aldi Woodridge Stores

Aldi Coorparoo stocked both NZ Hass @ $2.79 and NQ Shepards @ $2.49ea, the Shepards were much fresher, with Hass being 26 days old
Aldi Woodridge only stocked NZ Hass from Avoco (Skylark fruit) selling @ $2.49ea
Both stores has 6 piece nets of NZ Hass retailing @ $8.99

Above: Woolworths Coorparoo and Woolworths Woodridge

Woolworths Coorparoo had a new season Shepard display positioned prominently in the department but unfortunately had the Hass header card still displayed, count 20 fruit packed 28th Jan from Greenskins meant that fruit was 13 days old, selling @ $3.00ea. Presence of minor skin marking and odd piece developing rot.
Woolworths Woodridge also had new season NQ Shepards selling @ $2.70ea, supplied by Costas- fruit from DBC Farming and Avocado Estates, count 28, packed the 20th Jan therefore 21 days old
Woolworths Woodridge also had on offer 1kg odd bunch bags of Shepards, no price ticket on display

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

The national banana cut last week increased by 45,784 cartons to a total of 447,676 cartons which represents an increase of 11.39% on the previous week. National production is expected to be similar next week. The weather in the past week has seen minimum temps of 19.8 - 24.0C and maximum day temps of 30.5 to 33.4C across all North Qld growing regions. North Qld also experienced a couple of days of heavier rainfall with 74.4 mm in Mareeba last Wednesday; whilst the Tully region had a total of 210mm for the week with the heaviest day being Saturday with guage readings of 70.8mm; meanwhile Innisfail had a total of 149.6mm with the heaviest day also being Saturday with a fall of 75.2mm. There is further rain forecast for late this week, if heavy then there is a high risk of flooding, particularly in the Tully district.

Quality has been quite mixed with bat and bird damage prevalent, sap staining and minor skin marking detracting from fruit appearance. Farms affected by bats are wasting an additional 10-15% on top of their normal grade-outs as a result of the damage this protected species is causing.

Retail ticket pricing in Queensland for cavendish varied significantly between the major supermarkets with Aldi's ticket price at $2.49/kg; Woolworths at $3.00/kg and Coles offering fruit at $3.90/kg. Quality also varied greatly with a number of lines of fruit having visible skin marking, sap staining, neck injuries and rub marking - Aldi stores in general tended to be offering fruit that was grey in appearance (suggesting this had been chilled in storage) with some clusters splitting.

RETAIL SNAPSHOT OF BANANAS

Above: Coles Coorparoo and Coles Woodridge

Both stores were retailing Cavendish @ $3.90 per kg- minor neck injury, sap staining, scarring were visible. Fruit on display at Cooparoo was grey with some overfull fingers found splitting.
Both stores also retailing the 750g kids banded clusters @ $3.90ea, these were also exhibiting minor skin marking
Lady Fingers selling @ $6.90 per kg, stock was backward at Coorparoo

Above: Aldi Coorparoo and Aldi Woodridge

Both stores had Cavendish @ $2.49, with skin markings and sap staining
‘Lil Snackers’ packs were retailed @ $2.49 also
Lady Finger bananas were priced @ $5.99, some with skin markings

Above: Woolworths Coorparoo and Woolworths Woodridge

Both stores had Cavendish bananas priced @ $3.00 per kg
Kids packs were also @ $3.00 while Organic variety were priced @ $4.50 and Lady Fingers @ $7.90

February 11, 2021

2021-Week5

February 11, 2021/ Paul Wilson

QUICKLINKS

Avocado Overview

Banana Overview

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

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SNAPSHOT OF AVOCADOS

BANANA OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

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Growers Newsletter

AVOCADO OVERVIEW

SUPPLY UPDATE

SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

RETAIL SNAPSHOTS OF AVOCADOS

BANANA OVERVIEW

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AVOCADO OVERVIEW

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SUPERMARKET & MARKET PRICING FOR NEXT WEEK

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