Avocado shortage to last a fortnight

The price of avocados has rocketed as New Zealand faces its largest drought of the "fruit of kings" in a decade.

Over the next two weeks it will be all but impossible to find an avocado. The situation will ease after a fortnight when more arrive from Australia.

But Nick Katsoulis, a buyer for St Pierre's Sushi, said his 18 stores in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were bracing themselves for the "worst it's ever been".

"Sushi without avocado is like fish and chips without salt."

Mr Katsoulis said the company had been paying $4 per avocado and was planning to try a Brazilian style of sushi using mango, but he admitted there would be problems.

The popularity of New Zealand avocados at home and as an export product has grown exponentially. It is an almost complete food, containing all the major food groups, 11 vitamins and eight minerals.

Hugh Moore, chairman of the Avocado Growers' Association, said prices were at a record high. A crate, containing about 18kg of the fruit, which would wholesale for between $40 and $80 in peak season, was going for $240.

"To me it's not a crisis, but they are the highest prices in at least a decade," Mr Moore said.

Prices usually rose at this time of year. The shortage was due to high export sales and an abundance of the fruit in peak season between August and February, which drove local prices down.

Many growers had enjoyed the quick sales so had not kept fruit back, Mr Moore said.

Floods in the Bay of Plenty had contributed because some avocado crops could not be picked or transported out of the area.

The imports from Australia would solve the problem and would be out of quarantine in the next 14 days, said Mr Moore.

Peter Silcock, chief executive of the Fruitgrowers Federation, said there were often shortages and fluctuating prices for seasonal products that supermarkets wanted on their shelves all year round.

Avocado prices
* Browns Bay Foodtown $4.99
* Milford New World $2.89
* Albany Pak 'N Save $2.95
* Mt Wellington Countdown$2.99
* New Lynn Woolworths $4.99