ABOUT 1000 avocados have been stolen from a fruit block in Renmark.

Riverland Police are investigating the theft from a fruit orchard on Roper St ,which occurred during the night between Thursday and Friday.

With avocados retailing for $3 to $4, that’s quite a haul – and it’s not the first time thieves have targeted avocados.

In another bizarre heist, thieves stole thousands of avocados from a property near Barmera in the Riverland in September 2014.

Thousands of avocados were taken from more than 20 trees near Barmera.

In all, 1500kg of avocados were stolen, costing the grower an estimated $11,000 based on wholesale prices.

Sadly, these are not isolated incidents. In 2011 more than $4000 worth of ripe tomatoes were stolen from vines at Virginia.

Police said at the time it appeared to be a professional job and would have taken a team of five pickers about five hours to steal the fruit and that the produce would more than likely be sold at a produce market here or interstate.

In 2009 police were in a pickle after thieves targeted cucumbers in a bizarre series of raids on local market gardens in the northern suburbs.

The cucumbers, estimated to be worth more than $10,000, were stolen in 10 separate incidents from glasshouses in Virginia, Waterloo Corner and Buckland Park over a period of almost four months.

Anyone with information on the latest theft is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online.