No two onion growing seasons are ever the same as any grower will tell you, and this year in New Zealand it is no different, according to Simon Vale from Balle Bros.
“In Pukekohe and Matamata, we had a very wet winter and drilling of onion seed was challenging. Despite that, our production team took advantage of clear weather windows to get all our varieties planted at the right time.”
Spring has brought slightly cooler than normal weather, but sufficient sunshine and rain.
“Our first export crops of ELK are looking healthy at this point and are currently set up to finish well. PLK varieties still have some time to go but we are happy with their progress. We plan to start undercutting and drying the first of the ELK crops mid to late December with harvest to start early January 2024.”
Simon adds that there is some concern based on current season weather forecasts that El Nino weather may cause drier conditions and smaller sizes and lower yields.
For more information:
Simon Vale
Balle Bros. Exports Ltd.
Tel: + 64 9 2370898
Email: [email protected]
www.ballebros.co.nz