The Region - News from Jan. 26, 1987

California avocado growers lost up to 20% of their crop during last week’s subfreezing temperatures, but industry officials say there will not be any consumer shortage this season because of record production levels. “For some growers, it is a huge disaster,” said Mark Affleck, spokesman for the California Avocado Commission. Temperatures in the 20s especially hurt growers in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Orange and Riverside counties, he said. California’s 7,000 growers were celebrating a bumper crop this year of about 560 million pounds. California produces 90% of the nation’s avocados; the rest are grown in Florida. Westerners consume about 75% of the California crop.