Avocados are being stolen from orchards and sold through small businesses (file photo).

Thieves are targeting avocado orchards in the Bay of Plenty, with nine reports of avocado theft since the beginning of May.

In addition to the thefts, police said a lot of stall or store owners are turning a blind eye and on-selling stolen avocados.

Reports of theft range from Tauranga to Katikati in the last month.

Bay of Plenty police said the thefts have had a huge impact on orchard owners and warned business owners to be wary.

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Police have been visiting fruit and vegetable stores to educate owners.

"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," a police spokesperson said.

Police said avocado thieves can potentially be charged with burglary, which has a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

If a shop owner knowingly purchases stolen avocados, he or she could be charged with receiving stolen property, which carries a maximum imprisonment of seven years.

Western Bay of Plenty police Sergeant Trevor Brown said small business owners on-selling stolen avocados are only encouraging the thefts to continue.

"I urge you to ask the hard questions, if you don't purchase from doubtful sources, these commercial thefts will stop," Brown said.

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