Piñata Farms managing director Gavin Scurr said the first Honey Golds would arrive in store this week with a steady supply assured for Christmas and peak production expected around early January.
Night picking is underway in the Northern Territory where Piñata Farms has three farms spanning 650 hectares at Darwin, Katherine, and Mataranka, producing fruit from some 200,000 trees.
A network of about 30 third-party growers in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia supplies fruit under the Honey Gold brand to national supermarket customers throughout the season from November to March. Piñata Farms maintains a 10 per cent share of the Australian mango market.
Mr Scurr attributed the lighter season to poor flowering across the Territory due to fluctuating temperatures during winter when flowering is determined. "Honey Gold mangoes need at least 10 consecutive days of minimum temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius to achieve good flowering and a promising volume. Dry winters – when flowering occurs – are best," he said.
"While at this early stage, it appears there will be fewer Honey Golds this season, the volume could change as we get into the season, which we've seen happen before," Mr Scurr said.
Top End trees are now in full production
All three Territory farms – planted in stages since 2009 – were now in full production, he said. He said Piñata Farms had planted strategically at Humpty Doo near Darwin to produce a crop in October and extend the season by a few weeks. This year, however, Darwin and Katherine were harvesting simultaneously, with Mataranka following.
Piñata Farms' third-party growers also predicted a lighter season, particularly in Queensland, the biggest growing region, he said.
Night picking aids shelf life and pickers
Honey Gold mangoes are harvested overnight when Northern Territory conditions are cooler, and storms are less likely. Piñata Farms remains the only commercial grower to pick at night.
"This results in better shelf life as fruit has had time to fully rehydrate after the heat of the day. The practice is also better for pickers and eliminates the risk of sunburn and heatstroke," Mr Scurr said.
For more information:
Piñata Farms
Tel: +61 7 5497 4295
Email: [email protected]
www.pinata.com.au