Thousands of dollars worth of avocados are being stolen by organised gangs who are selling the fruit on to retailers, the New Zealand Herald reports.

The price of avocados has recently fallen to $3 NZ (around £1.50) per fruit, but peaked at $7 NZ (around £3.60) earlier this year.

Tree nurseries have also reported that people “are asking about avocados all day, every day”, Stuff.co.nz reports.

However, there are not enough avocado trees to meet demand as they take up to seven years of cultivation before bearing fruit.