The Australian prune industry is ‘cautiously optimistic’ according to Grant Delves, head of the Australian Prune Industry Association (APIA). The outlook has improved following a successful harvest, expected to yield between 1500 and 2000 tonnes more than the 2014 season did, supported by good weather conditions and active interest from California’s largest prune distributor, Sunsweet, in Australian grown prunes. The second lot of Australian product is being transported now.
“The prune industry has been in the doldrums. Every prune growing country has had a crop failure over the past couple of years, leading to short supply, but this year we’re forecasting a move into a nice equilibrium between supply and demand, and solid growth over the next 10 years,” says Mr Delves. “We’ve had perfect growing conditions. This year’s quality is very good, sugar accumulation is looking good.”
Australia also has good representation at an international level, with the
International Prune Association, which Mr Delves also serves on. He says that has helped the industry keep on top of what’s going on worldwide. “Prunes worldwide are a fairly small industry, but because we’re a fairly close knit family we can keep up with changes.” That is just what the APIA did when California started removing thousands of trees a few years ago, replacing them with nut varieties that can produce more per megalitre of water in the face of ongoing crippling drought. The higher return nut yields are expected to tighten up as prune returns increase, according to Mr Delves.
“Australia took the attitude that we needed to encourage Sunsweet to have a look at our product, even though we grow slightly different varieties. We’re a politically and economically stable country, with reasonably high security of water for irrigation, and in the right zone to grow prunes. We are looking to encourage growers who want to grow large, quality fruit to plant.”
The move has paid off, and the first exports to California in April 2014 were well received, and double the amount will now make its way across the Pacific Ocean in 2015, according to Mr Delves. “The Americans were very happy with the quality they received, and we’ve upped the quantity with several more growers looking to plant. We’re actively looking to encourage more plantings.”
For more information:
Grant Delves, CEO
Australian Prune Industry Association
Phone: +6135023 5174
Website:http://www.ausprunes.org.au
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AusPrunes