The Australian grapefruit harvest is well underway in the Southern states – South Australia, Victoria and NSW. Fruit size is ‘ideal’ peaking on count 40 (100mm), according to Ben Cant of Impi Citrus. “Very small fruit is less saleable and larger fruit is harder to grade and pack,” he says. “Fruit quality has been high as wind blemish levels are low this year. Colour has been a little later developing than normal but has caught up now.”
Although fruit quality has been good overall, heavy supply of mandarins to the domestic market has meant that sales for grapefruit have been slower than Mr Cant would have liked. “With warmer weather coming on and mandarin supply easing, demand is increasing very quickly though,’ he adds.
Export markets have also seen movement, with South Africa finishing slightly earlier than usual, providing a small window prior to grapefruit from Florida being shipped across the world. As Australia’s main competitor for grapefruit exports, South Africa is a cheaper producer with large volume available for the most part, so the shoulder season needs to be exploited, according to Mr Cant.
China, Japan and India do all present opportunities for Australian grapefruit suppliers, but only time will tell whether they are able to capture those markets successfully, Mr Cant says. “The new FTAs have sparked interest, and there are opportunities for limited volumes to those markets going forward.”The Japanese market has also had reports of adverse effects of eating grapefruit while on certain medications, so consumer education will be vital to any expansion there, Mr Cant says.
The ‘Star Ruby’ is still preferred by consumers in terms of varieties available, according to Mr Cant. Ruby grapefruit has been profitable for Impi Citrus because the company has its own packhouse, and manages consistent supply with retailers, he says. “This has brought stability to the price and to our harvest program. They yield exceptionally high, up to 400kg per tree so they are very efficient with inputs.”