Avocado prices are rising this May and will take a toll on people trying to enjoy that delicious Cinco De Mayo guacamole. In fact, customers are paying almost twice the normal price for the fruits. The avocado crops are alternate-bearing, which means they have large harvests one year and very small ones the next. This has affected the month of May more than other months to people around the globe.

 For celebrators of Cinco De Mayo, many are becoming worried that they will be on a shortage of the famous guacamole that everyone looks forward to eating tons of at this time of year. Definitely expect to have a more pricey bill for that avocado toast or chips and guacamole at restaurants.

 The supply throughout the recent years has been heavily altered from fast food chains such as Moe’s and Chipotle requiring such a high demand for the fruit. California’s production of avocados is down by nearly 44% this year; This is partially due to a heatwave. However, severe flooding in southern regions of Peru has downgraded the crop’s production as well. Mexico’s avocado imports have plunged, which is unusual for this time of year, and this is believed to be because of Mexican avocado growers going on strike. According to the US Department of Agriculture, in July of this year, about 24 million pounds of avocado were shipped to the US, which is 15 million less pounds than the week before shipped. Other places such as China and countries in Europe have a much larger demand for avocados lately, which has been taking away from the normal supply.

 The average price in January for an avocado was 89 cents. With the last average price check in March, avocados were $1.25 each. Some places in the country report sale prices of the fruits at $2 each. A 22-pound box of Hass avocados costs $27.89, which is a record high in over 20 years. Make sure that if you go to get anything avocado-related that you cut down on quantity unless you plan on paying a significant amount more than usual.