A split mango harvest will mean an unpredictable crop for the Northern Territory’s mango harvest, according to Seven Fields Executive Chairman Greg McMahon. “Darwin has started flowering. The majority of the harvest will be a bit later this year and some fruit is already the size you would normally be picking. There’s an early and late fruit mix, and everybody will have an opinion on what that means.”
There can always be some overlap between Katherine and Darwin in the Northern Territory, according to Mr McMahon, and harvest won’t begin properly until the end of October or early November. “It’s too early to tell total volume, but looking at key varieties such as R2E2, and new varieties such as Lady Jane and Lady Grace, I can say I’ve never seen the trees look better,” he added. Mr McMahon had visited NT farms or grower forums and meetings during the last week.
Kensington Pride, or KP, remains the most popular variety in the ground for Queenslanders, but it depends which state you’re in, according to him, which variety consumers identify with.
Because some trees will be picked twice, thanks to a second flowering during the season, the cost of picking for growers will increase, according to Mr McMahon. The Australian Mango Industry Association’s Boyd Arthur also said that growers will need to stay up to date with weekly crop forecasts to manage overlap in supply between Katherine and Darwin, and coordinate trucking and logistics. "It is very accurate, it is put together with growers right across the whole country in each region," he said of the forecast in an interview with the ABC.
Quality testing has been the most valuable thing supporting the growth of the Australian mango industry, still on track to increase exports to 20% of total production within five years, Mr McMahon says. “The Australian Mango Industry Association does a very good job, and last year we got more discipline around getting a good quality eating experience in the mangoes consumers buy.”