WELLINGTON, June 13 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand avocado prices rose 37 percent in May to record levels after a small harvest, the country's statistics department Stats NZ said on Wednesday.
However, prices fell for other fruit and vegetables, such as mandarins and broccoli, Stats NZ said.
The average price for a 200g avocado rose to 5.06 NZ dollars (3.55 U.S. dollars) in May 2018, up 37 percent from the price in April 2018. The price in May this year is the highest ever for avocados since the series began, it said.
"Seasonality impacts avocado prices," prices manager Matthew Haigh said in a statement, adding that typically, avocado prices peak in July and August as the main harvest season is from August to March.
According to the New Zealand Avocado Growers Association, harvest volumes in the year to June 2018 were down to around half that for the previous season. This decrease affected the average retail prices of avocados in the past 12 months.
Overall, food prices remained flat in May, falling 0.1 percent after seasonal adjustment. Falls in fruit and vegetable prices were offset by rises in meat, poultry, and fish prices, Stats NZ said.
