It's a later than usual start to the Australian mango season, but the industry is still expecting good levels in production and good quality throughout the summer.
The Australian Mango Industry Association says the harvest has ramped up for Darwin growers over the past two weeks, with a sharp increase in volumes dispatched to market.
According to the My Mango Crop Forecast, a lot of the fruit on the trees in Darwin is now ready to be picked, as growers are working long days to keep up with harvest operations. The weather has remained mostly dry but hot last week, however, the rain from three weeks ago has pushed the trees to produce new flush which can be seen across the orchards. Chief Executive Officer Trevor Dunmall says there has been discussion about the unusual late start to the Darwin season but as usual, the climate through winter and early spring will bear a lot of the responsibility.
"Usually, the Northern Territory has early fruit coming out through August and it really kicks off in mid-September, but this year it has been late," he said. "Volumes have only really ramped up in the past two weeks."
Picking has started in Katherine for some of the earlier fruit, although most growers expect to start getting busy as of mid to late October and throughout November. Fruit continues to develop in the orchards with the season looking quite promising across the region. In Kununurra, there has been strong flowering but the fruit set has been a bit patchy. However, AMIA is expecting this season to bring higher volumes than the last, with most growers getting ready for harvest with their first pick expected either late this week or next week.
In north Queensland's Bowen/Burdekin region, several growers have commenced spot picking with small volumes dispatched to market as the warm weather is promoting good fruit development, with production ramping up in the next 3-4 weeks. Further north in Mareeba/Dimbulah, fruit set remains a little patchy in some parts but there are some very good crops across all varieties.
"Every mango season is different, and it has been an interesting start to the season," Mr Dunmall said. "This year, there has been good flowering across most regions, but fruit set has been patchy for some growers. There was a lot of optimism about higher volumes earlier in the year, but I think it's going to be a moderate crop this season. The volumes in the market will still be good, but not the high volumes predicted prior to the season. The quality coming into the markets have been very good."
The industry is also hoping to bounce back after last year when Far North Queensland growers experienced one of the worst seasons on record. The rain associated with Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper saw many growers receive over 1000 millimetres of rain in four days.
While frost in early August has impacted some crops in north Queensland and rain during flowering has also had an impact, Mr Dunmall is hoping that the weather will be kinder to all growers as the season progresses, and there are no major weather events to disrupt the season.
"The season is still in the early stages," he said. "Darwin is well progressed now but because of the late start, it has compacted that season. The weather is getting warmer and hopefully, they can get the crop off before rain becomes a factor for Darwin growers."
Like every mango season, a key priority for the AMIA and Hort Innovation is consumer engagement, and ensuring Australians continue to love Australian mangoes throughout the season.
"Hort Innovation, who manage our marketing program have launched the Taste the Sunshine campaign in line with the start of the season and the promotions campaign will continue throughout the season," Mr Dunmall said. "The traditional first tray of mangoes went for $32,000 at the Brisbane Markets Mango auction in early October. Our Supply Chain Engagement Manager Andrew Burns is working closely with retailers across Australia to ensure mangoes are featured prominently in store."
For more information:
Trevor Dunmall
Australian Mango Industry Association
Phone: +61 (07) 3278 3755
[email protected]
www.industry.mangoes.net.au