Sea Of Avocados Dumped At FNQ Tip Amid Market Disruption

A sea of avocados were dumped and left to rot in far north Queensland, with farmers and growers slammed for their actions.

Tonnes of avocados were pictured on the side of a road, which farmers say is due to rising shipping and labour costs.

With supply currently outlasting demand, the once-prized and luxurious fruit are not being overproduced.

Chair of FNQ Growers and Mareeba farmer Joe Moro said the decision to leave the produce rotting can be put down to oversupplying, market cost and substandard quality.

"Farmers really do not like to plough in a crop because they don't grow it just to put it back into the ground," Moro said.

"They grow it to send to market and want to put the best product they can onto the plate and even though the farmer has made a commercial decision to dump the fruit it would still be a very emotional decision for them."

A report by the Cairns Post details the copious footage of rotting avocados was estimated to be between 50 to 100 tonnes, holding a potential value of $200,000.

Jan De Lai, a far north resident, shared the photos on Facebook after discovering them at a local tip.

"Truckloads of avocados are being dumped in Atherton! Surely they could be used for animal fodder or used to make oil?" she wrote. "Poor farmers."

With production nationwide doubling the past 10 years, growers have made the most of Australia's need for the fruit.

While the FNQ area supplies two-thirds of the avocados, the 2022 harvest has been impacted by the oversupply from Western Australia - creating a dip in the market.

While quality remains high, issues such as the recent floods in NSW can cause market disruption.

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