The Kensington Pride mango harvest is well under way in Australia's Northern Territory. There was a large, late flowering in Darwin but it hasn't fully translated to yield and volumes in September were down, but they are are improving through October as the seasons peaks a little later than normal.
The major mango growing regions in the Northern Territory have seen unseasonable rain over the last few weeks, it's predicted to clear up, however in Darwin, the wet season is just a few weeks away so. Darwin has about 7-10 days left of harvest time. At the moment there is a threat of big storms paired with labour challenges.
The industry is predicting 2.4 million trays to be harvested out of Darwin but it's early days, growers are still waiting to see how the storms unfold.
"The good news for consumers is there's about to be an abundance of great value, fantastic quality, delicious Kensington Pride mangoes in-store. The eating quality is sensational at the moment; consumers are going to see serious value at the checkout over the next three weeks as the season harvest peaks," said Matt Palise, Director at Red Rich Fruits, based in Darwin.
"We're setting an All About Flavour challenge to the Australian consumer to try different varieties of mangoes and tell me personally if Kensington Pride is not the best mango they have ever tasted.
"We've had our challenges with the storms, and have been fortunate with the PALM Labour Scheme to secure a really good crew, and we're about to hit our peak harvest window out of Darwin, which is great news for consumers."
AMIA mango forecast
"In Katherine, both farms are firing and we're delighted with the crop volumes and the quality, we're just hoping the weather holds," said Marie Piccone, Managing Director at Manbulloo.
"Our Kensington Pride mangoes out of Katherine are tasting absolutely delicious. They have a wonderful distinct flavour, they're looking plump and are flying off the shelves - we're seeing really strong demand at the checkout.
"In Queensland, there's good crops on the trees for many producers and we're looking forward to supplying mango lovers with top quality Kensington Prides that deliver that amazing eating experience right throughout Summer."
For more information:
Erin Hart
Red Rich Fruits
[email protected]
Tel: +61 424 855 316