The Australian summerfruit season is off to a good and early start, reports are predicting a strong and high-quality crop. Growers across most Australian regions are picking optimum fruit, with harvest beginning about two weeks earlier than usual thanks to warm and dry weather conditions.
"Australia's summerfruit categories, which mainly consist of peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums, size rapidly about two to four weeks ahead of harvest. Across the country, there are 400 summerfruit growers, with up to 5,000 permanent owners/employees and up to 15,000 casuals employed during seasonal periods, explains Trevor Randford CEO at Summerfruit Australia.
Thousands of tonnes of summerfruit are sold both domestically and exported to overseas markets, primarily in Asia where consumers place high value on Australian fruit.
"Australia's summerfruit season is experiencing a terrific start, with harvest of early season peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums now in full swing," said Mr Ranford. "The season typically starts around late October to early November, but many growers had already begun harvesting fruit several weeks ago. This is largely due to favourable weather conditions, starting with a hot and dry spring and summer-like temperatures. If this continues, we expect there to be an ongoing strong crop.
Photo: Summerfruit Australia
"Many growers are telling us that fruit is generally quite large with a sweet flavour profile, bright colour and good firmness – all of which are highly prized by consumers. Many of the early summerfruit varieties are positioned for the domestic market and are already available on store shelves around the country, plus it is pleasing to see that much fruit is also on its way to key export markets including the Middle East and across Asia.
"All indications are that most regions will enjoy a good long season with lots of premium fruit right through to around April next year."
Summerfruit Australia Chair Dean Morpeth said if current weather conditions continue, growers can look forward to a high-yielding season of tasty fruit.
"In my discussions with growers across all regions and recent visits, it's clear that they feel encouraged and confident that this season will be one of excellent eating produce. "The season is quite early, and the crop load looks excellent with the flavour of early varieties surpassing last year's brix or sugar levels.
"There has been significant effort from the industry to deliver a fantastic crop of high-quality fruit which allowed us to capitalise on early season sales opportunities. This fruitful harvest is positive news for growers, particularly given the enormous popularity of summerfruit in Australia but also our valuable access to a range of export markets.
"Given many regions have received less rain than in previous seasons, this is shaping up as an exciting year for summerfruit consumers to enjoy Aussie grown fruit that offers a great eating experience."
For more information:
Trevor Ranford
Summerfruit Australia
Tel: +61 417 809 172
Email: [email protected]
summerfruit.com.au/