Rising avocado prices lead to popular fruit crime wave – RT’s Boom Bust explains

The popular breakfast of avocado on toast is under dire threat in many countries from New Zealand to the United States, as the price for the green fruit has considerably increased over the recent years.

The recent price spike is attributed to the shortages in avocado production across the world, which was triggered by an extreme heat in 2016 and five years of drought. After more than 400 million pounds of avocado were harvested in 2016, the number dropped to just 200 million pounds last year, the California avocado commission says.

The avocado shortage has boosted not only prices for the fruit across the world, but a crime wave as well, with some producers reporting that most of their crops are being stolen, creating an avocado black market.

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