Thieves targeting avocado orchards

Avocados have become hot property for thieves in the Western Bay of Plenty. Photo/file

Bay avocado growers are being urged to beef up their security following large scale avocado thefts in the area.

Police have begun targeting fruit and vegetable stores after receiving nine reports of thefts in the Western Bay of Plenty since May.

Sergeant Trevor Brown said there had been "a number of large scale avocado thefts in the Tauranga to Katikati area over the last month".

He said the thefts had had a huge impact on orchard growers.

Mr Brown said police found a lot of stall or store owners are turning a blind eye and on-selling stolen avocados.

"For this reason, staff have recently been visiting fruit and vegetable stores to educate owners on the consequences of this issue. We have been educating store owners that avocados with no stalks or long stalks are likely to be stolen, and asking them to be aware of where they are purchasing their fruit from."

Avocado thieves could face burglary charges, which have a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. Shop owners involved in on-selling stolen avocados could face charges of receiving stolen property, which carries a maximum imprisonment of 7 years.

Mr Brown's message to avocado fans was to ask hard fruit sellers "the hard questions".

"By purchasing and on-selling these stolen avocados, you are encouraging these thefts to continue," he said.

"Support orchardists, your fellow business owners, and don't purchase these stolen fruits. If we work together, we can combat this issue."

AVOCO director Alistair Young said it had been working with police, passing on reports from growers who witnessed an attempt by someone to sell suspected stolen avocados at Mount Maunganui as well as suspicious activity near avocado orchards north of Tauranga.

"Our growers work hard in their orchards all year to produce premium quality export fruit. It's then incredibly frustrating for growers when they visit a local store to see what they suspect is stolen fruit being sold at a cut-price value."

Recent reports of stolen fruit being traded was a reminder for many growers to review their orchard security, Mr Young said.

"Efforts have been made at an industry level to heighten awareness about this issue. Now, everyone is on high alert for suspicious activity, and they're taking measures to make their crops more secure."