Forks at the ready, avo fans – with the harvest just beginning, the fruit is already going cheap.

A scan of supermarket prices on Tuesday revealed that avocados, harvested from August to February, were already selling for as little as 80 cents a pop.

A Countdown spokesperson says grower investment over the last couple of years means the supermarket chain has a good supply of New Zealand-grown fruit.

'Over the last year, avocado sales have increased by more than 25 per cent,” says the spokesperson.

Foodstuffs spokesperson Emma Wooster​ says more than 31 million avocados were sold in Foodstuffs' New World, Pak'nSave and Four Square stores last year.

'We expect to see great value and availability on avocados continue as crops grow larger – great news as we know New Zealanders love some avo on their morning toast.”

NZ Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular​ says New Zealanders bought more than 80 million avocados last season, which is 'a record, and a great one”.

'With increased prices for fruit and vegetables, and our new season crop available, it's a great time for Kiwis to grab an extra couple of avocados in their weekly shopping and try avocados in new ways.”

But the bargain-basement prices come at a cost to avocado growers, who have already had a tough couple of years.

Repeated Covid-19 lockdowns, shipping problems and changing shopping habits have all impacted on growers' ability to shift their produce.

On top of that, increased production in Australia, usually New Zealand's biggest export market, resulted in an 'avalanche” of avocados there last year.

The oversupply led to prices hitting a 15-year low of $1 each and a 76 per cent slump in New Zealand's exports across the Tasman.

Scoular says New Zealand produced about 1.5 per cent of the global avocado supply, and she believed demand in Asia could be 'increased significantly with good investment in that market developmen..”

-Stuff/Esther Tauton.