The South African Sharon fruit season has been a very challenging one, says Arthur Yusim, manager of product and sales of exotic fruit at MOR International, with volumes up to 40% down from the original estimate. The reasons for this drop are under investigation, but the drought might have played a role (as everywhere in the Western Cape) as well as the incidence of Alternaria blight in some orchards.
The harvest was delayed by two and a half weeks to wait for the fruit to colour; there were exceptionally high temperatures in March (up to 42°C) which retarded this process. Usually the first fruit are flown out to markets by mid-April, followed by fruits shipped out at the end of April. This year the harvest started in the second week of April and concluded at the beginning of June, with sales continuing until the end of July.
“I think we made the right decision to wait for the fruit to reach colour,” says Arthur Yusim, “but it was a very challenging season with some surprises from Mother Nature. It’s not what we planned for.”
The harvest showed a tendency towards small fruit but quality was excellent, with a pack-out percentage of 81% to 90% on class 1 fruit.
Traditionally the main markets for Sharon fruit from South Africa are the European Union and the UK, and South Africa is the only Sharon fruit producer in the Southern Hemisphere for these markets. The first Sharon fruit arrive before the appearance of summer fruit but thereafter it finds itself in a full fruit market available to European consumers. This competition places a damper on prices, as Yusim points out. “Prices are actually not higher than usual, despite low volumes, because Sharon fruit is now competing with other summer fruit on the market.”
Very low volumes were marketed locally this year, with a focus on Gauteng Province because there is more buying power and demand for Sharon fruit. Class 2 fruit are marketed domestically and South African consumers appear to have a preference for large Sharon fruit.
MOR International has for the past few years embarked on campaigns to raise awareness of Sharon fruit among South African consumers. “A few years ago no-one knew what Sharon fruit was but awareness has certainly grown,” says Yusim.
For more information:
Arthur Yusim
MOR International
Tel: +972 54 203 0020
Email: Arthur@morgroup.co.il