At Pahoia orchards in New Zealand the season is running roughly four to six weeks behind what is considered normal, this true for most growers.
"We were expecting to start harvesting early to mid-August with our new variety Eureka Sunrise and our Eureka to kick off about four to six weeks later. The sequence will still be the same just a bit later than we expected. We started harvesting our later variety Eureka in week 39," said Alex Saunders from Pahoia Orchards.
Alex Saunders
"We believe our orchard is carrying the volume we expected or slightly more, it is just delayed, we are concerned that each orchard is going to put out its volume in late October early- late November. The season is slow, we are currently on seven-to-fourteen-day rotations, due to low light levels, rain and a late cold snap prior to the season. The weather is generally improving in the Bay of Plenty, the El-Nino winds are frustrating though."
The volumes on the orchard have been slow but the general feel from growers who Alex has spoken to is that it is extremely slow going, delayed in some areas and varieties more than others.
"We have picked around three tons over four weeks and have been growing quickly so far this season. On around half a hectare of land we have roughly 3500 plants in our Eureka Sunrise block, they are about two years old. I believe the new second generation genetics out of MBO could be much better suited to the New Zealand climate.
Growers in New Zealand haven’t had a good run of weather for roughly two years. "We believe that the wet summer and wet weather in general has had a trickle down effect onto this year's harvest as the plants were slower at growing through the summer months and we were not able to get all our tips in that were required."
Pahoia Orchards grow roughly two ha of covered blueberry production and they are all MBO varieties, these are marketed by Berry Co. The main varieties are Eureka Sunrise, Eureka and first blush, roughly one ha per variety with first blush mixed with Eureka.
Currently demand in New Zealand is slow, according to Alex. He said this is to be expected given the climate right now, recession and it’s an election year, which generally slows most things down plus the school holiday period has been wet.
"The export market however, has seen strong demand, we are informed that this is on the back of lower volumes from Peru. We are currently aiming to export most of our crop this year as we believe it is critical for the success of our orchard’s future, at the moment it is the best option for our fruit until demand in New Zealand picks up.
"Ourselves and our grower group need a top presence offshore, it is critical for the success of everyone involved. As Pahoia Orchards is one of the earlier exporters of the group we are being super critical over quality so we can help achieve a great result, while creating demand for the rest of the growing group as they enter the market. The price could stabilize, but is in the downward trend from here."
"Our marketers are aiming to export roughly 30% of the overall volume but I'm sure they will aim to export more if required to get a better outcome for growers. We aim to be a big part of that 30%. Currently all our fruit is being exported to Taiwan."
For more information:
Alex Saunders
Pahoia Orchards
Tel: +64 278965260
Email: pahoiaorchardsltd@gmail.com