New Zealand is in crisis because its avocados are so popular.
The fruit is extremely expensive in New Zealand right now, due to a poor season last year and rapidly rising demand. As a result, the country is facing a massive wave of avocado thefts.
Thieves have taken to stealing avocados from New Zealand’s orchards, sometimes hundreds at a time, in the middle of the night. Just since January, The Guardian reports, there have been almost 40 large-scale thefts.
The heists are dangerous, because avocados still on the trees are often covered in pesticides harmful to human skin. But apparently the avocado bandits find it worth it.
“These stolen avocados can carry risks,” Waihi police sergeant Aaron Fraser told The Guardian. “But with the prices so high at the moment, the potential for profit is a strong inducement for certain individuals.”
