Florida growers expect late avocado crop

Excerpts from an article in the Florida Avocados Special section of The Packer, written by Doug Ohlemeier published on 05/28/2010 09:15AM

Grower-shippers of Florida avocados say retailers should expect volume to start later than normal during the beginning of this season’s harvesting.

Though Florida growers typically start harvesting their large green-skinned avocados in late May, commercial volumes normally ramp up by mid-June, with promotable volumes usually hitting in early July.

Some say the deal’s volume should be up to one to two weeks later than last year’s start.

Grower-shippers of Florida avocados say retailers should expect volume to start later than normal during the beginning of this season’s harvesting.

Before a windstorm struck growing regions in late April, Bill Brindle, vice president of sales management for Brooks Tropicals Inc., Homestead, said the industry was hoping for a harvest around 1.1 million bushels, one of the largest crops since 2005.

The storm, which brought winds exceeding 50 mph that blew an undetermined amount of small fruit off trees, could have affected up to a third of growers’ early season shipments

Brindle said he expects the crop to be a little less than initially estimated. Brindle said the storm was a normal storm system that moves through in April but that this one brought stronger than the normal 30 mph winds. It struck during the middle of south Florida’s fruit set period when the deal has many small fruit and flowers that were about to mature.

Brindle said growers would have a better idea of the size of this year’s deal in late May.
“The last three years have gone really well,” he said in early May. “The industry has fully recovered from the hurricanes we had in 2005 and 2006. We are hoping for a really good year.”

Responsible for about half of the deal’s fruit, Brooks expects to ship a little less than 500,000 bushels, higher than the 440,000 bushels it shipped last season.

Alan Flinn, administrator of the Florida Avocado Administrative Committee, Homestead, forecast the industry to ship 1 million bushels, up from the 929,000 pounds the industry shipped in 2009-10.
“We should have a very good season this year,” Flinn said in early May. “We have had a good bloom and fruit set so far.”