Beware of immature avocados as season looms

It's at this time of the year when South Africans brace for mouth-watering avocados as they start to make their way into the market after the summer production gap. Buyers are however warned not to be fooled into buying immature avocados that have been picked too soon and will never ripen.

The avocado harvest in South Africa peaks in winter, with supply dwindling in summer. As the early production areas start coming into season and a limited amount of fruit makes its way to market, prices are at their highest.

This is therefore the ideal time for farmers and marketers to earn top prices for their fruit, leading to many temptations to get the fruit to market as soon as possible. Consumers too are eager for the fruit, and willing to pay higher prices.

“January and February are very sensitive times of the year to buy avocados,” said Francois Knowles, CEO of the Agricultural Produce Agents Council (Apac).

Leaving a bad taste

“The fruit looks beautiful, but if it was not picked at the right time, it will never ripen, leaving a bad taste in consumers’ mouths. The biggest issue for the industry is that when a consumer has a bad experience with a fruit, they are reluctant to buy it again and could [put it] off for the rest of the season.”

Besides the wider consequences for avocado consumption trends, selling immature avocados is in fact illegal and could land farmers and sellers in hot water. According to the Agricultural Product Standards Act published in 2014, avocados need to have a moisture content of less than 80% to be deemed mature.

To enforce the law, both the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development (DALRRD), and the South African Avocado Growers’ Association (Saaga) contract inspectors test the fruit at packhouses before they are sent to market.

Immature avocados are making their way into the market, forming part of a bigger problem for South Africa's avocado industry. Photo: Supplied/Lindi Botha

Thorn in the industry's side

Derek Donkin, CEO of Subtrop, the umbrella organisation that includes Saaga, said that the prevalence of immature avocados on the market has decreased over the last ten years since the organisation has taken action.

“We have extensively published the details of the legislation and information on maturity testing so the farmers are very aware of it. We have also contracted quality assurance company Prokon to conduct maturity testing at packhouses to further reinforce the law.”

While these checks and balances keep the formal and legitimate trade of avocados in check, stolen fruit and unscrupulous traders are a thorn in the side of the industry. “Formal trade is easy to regulate,” said Donkin. “But informal trade does not have to follow the same regulations since there is no one governing them.

“For example, if I want to open a shop in a building selling fried chicken, I have a host of laws that I need to comply with and can expect regular inspections from the health department.

"National fresh markets are failing the industry and it’s no secret that the state of these markets is dismal."

Francois Knowles, CEO of the Agricultural Produce Agents Council (Apac)

"But if I just opened up a stand on the pavement outside the building, then I am completely exempt from those regulations. This is why immature avocados can be sold in the informal sector – there is nothing stopping them, and no inspections are done.”

The theft element

At the time of year when avocado prices are at their highest, the incidence of theft coincides. Donkin said that thieves aim to get to the harvest before the farmers can, leading to immature fruit being picked. This fruit is then either sold by the thieves themselves or sold to hawkers who sell to the unsuspecting public.

Warning bells should ring for those buying seemly top-quality avocados at low prices so early in the season.

“Farmers will be capitalising on high prices now, sending everything they can to either the local or export market. There is always fruit that does not make the grade for either market and this could be sold to hawkers. But it will be mature fruit that has been tested. Top-quality fruit is not going to land up at a hawker where it is sold on the cheap. If it is, it is likely to be stolen or immature,” Donkin explained.

The problem with national fresh markets

A further, more widespread issue is however plaguing farmers and the reputation of avocados: the state of the national fresh produce markets.

Knowles said that in the past tests were regularly conducted on fresh produce to ensure quality and food safety standards were being adhered to, but with the deterioration of the markets and level of efficiency at the DALRRD, there was no telling how regularly these tests were being done.

Since maturity tests are done on avocados at formal packhouses, those sending the fruit directly to the market could dodge such testing were it not to be done at the markets as well.

“To protect the industry there needs to be continuity so that consumers have faith in the product they buy. But national fresh markets are failing the industry and it’s no secret that the state of these markets is dismal,” said Knowles.

Keeping consumers coming back for more

Going one step further, he said that even were mature avocados reached the market, the often broken cold rooms, lack of hygiene, and incorrect handling of the fruit meant that quality fruit did not always reach the consumer.

Avocados are a high-value product and play a significant role in supporting the agricultural community. Consumers need to have a good eating experience to motivate them to keep buying avocados, and ensuring quality fruit reaches them every time will be what keeps this industry afloat for years to come.