“It has been a good growing season so far, and we expect this to continue. Summerfruits are grown nationally however the main growing regions for our fruit is in north western Victoria – Sunraysia which is Swan Hill and the Riverland in South Australia and the upper Goulburn Murray region around Cobram. The weather in these regions has been good so far. We are expecting a generally good quality, good brix levels and plentiful volumes for export again this year.”
“The apricots, nectarines and some early peaches should be the first fruits harvested, followed by the mainstream of nectarines, peaches and plums. The key regions should be starting in early November. Our main export market is Hong Kong, which we send 50% to, followed by the United Arab Emirates at 15% and Singapore at 12%. We are hoping for access to mainland China this year, however there are still negotiations continuing with AQSIQ and the Australian government Department of Agriculture.”
“We hope to get good prices for our exported fruit this season, as the exchange rate for the Australian dollar is quite advantageous, around 88 cents to the US dollar at the moment, although it fluctuates. It’s come down from last year, when it was over 95 cents to the US dollar, so this is good for export.”
Australia’s main summerfruit exports are apricot, plums, white peach and white nectarine, all with individual varieties.
Australia has very strict food safety standards that apply to retail, wholesale, exporting and processing. These standards are developed jointly by leading Australian retailers and Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). All reputable Australian summer stonefruit producers will operate an independently audited HACCP-based food safety system. These systems cover all facets of production and include periodic testing of fruit to ensure it complies with maximum residue level (MRL) requirements in proposed destination markets.
For more information:
John Moore
Summerfruit Australia
Phone: 0061 2 6041 6641
Email: ceo@summerfruit.com.au