The regular harvesting commences from fourth year. Its fruits are harvested in August-September in south India. They should be plucked when they are fully mature which can be assessed by change in fruit colour, fruit size and sometimes the oil content. In Purple variety, fruits are plucked when they show a purplish blush, and in Green when they develop yellow tinge and once the glossy shine diminishes. If fruits are retained for longer periods, they drop before softening. Picking poles (with a net or cloth bag at the end) can be used for harvesting the fruits. Although a 25-year-old tree yields as high as 2,000 fruits, a yield of 400–500 fruits/tree is considered fairly good.

Well mature avocado fruits ripen in 4–5 days after harvesting, but ripening can be accelerated by ethylene (10 ppm) treatment. Ripening takes place satisfactorily at 15°–21°C and is hampered above 30°C. Mature fruits can be held for a month at 6°–9°C coupled with 80–90% humidity. An extension of shelf-life can be obtained by storing at low temperature after enclosing the fruits in polyethylene bags. The ripening time of fruits stored is generally always less than the non-stored fruits. Packing is done in a single layer in well-ventilated wooden boxes so that they arrive in markets in good condition.