AUSSIE avocados labelled as “Ripe & Ready” are helping to cement a place on Malaysian and Singaporean plates.
Avocados Australia recently held an event in Malaysia, the culmination of a multi-year project to introduce ripe Australian avocados to retail shelves.
Avocados Australia chief executive officer, John Tyas, said promoting high-quality ripe and ready avocados in key Asian markets was an important part of the country’s longer term export goals.
At the final event in Malaysia, hosted by Euro-Atlantic and featuring nutritionist and media personality Alexandra Prabaharan, guests heard about the boost in sales from retailing ripe avocados, plus the nutritional benefits of avocados.
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Avocados Australia has managed the Ripe & Ready program which has been funded through the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resource’s Package Assisting Small Exporters program (PASE), Sunfresh, The Avolution and the Avocado Export Company.
“One of the challenges that we have had from the start of the program was the reluctance of retailers to offer a ‘ripe’ product for consumers,” Mr Tyas said.
“This reluctance is typically driven by the additional cost and risk in providing this offering. However, we have been able to convince some key retailers that there is a benefit of additional sales, warranting the investment in managing a ‘ripe’ offering and we are now starting to see the benefits of the work undertaken to date.
“To support the development of the Ripe & Ready program, Avocados Australia, with the Department of Agriculture & Fisheries Queensland and the exporters involved in the program, has been providing support and training to importers and retailers in key markets, as well as tailored information brochures for consumers.”
Mr Tyas said this work was a key part of the industry’s development, as domestic production continued to grow.
“However, competition from other countries is only increasing in our export markets and the requirement for servicing the market with the highest quality product is now greater than ever,” he said.
“This is why the entire Australian avocado supply chain is working to make sure we get export right, including a focus on high-quality fruit.
“It is so important for the prosperity of our industry as we move into a higher supply environment.”