New Zealand’s avocado harvest is tipped to reach up to eight million trays this season, however NZ Avocado chief executive Brad Seibert says a frost on the nights of 5 and 6 August was the worst in about 30 years.

“For some orchards and growers I’ve spoken to, it’s heartbreaking,” he says.

“They’re on the cusp of harvest, and they’ve had essentially most of their crop destroyed.”

He says industry-wide supply is largely unaffected, with export values holding in Australia, Asia and Canada.

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