In Warragul, Victoria, third generation apple grower David Armour has finished harvesting this season’s apples and says the jazz apple was by far the most profitable.
The variety was developed in 2009 and selected producers have the opportunity to grow the apple, which is usually picked in April and is available to consumers from May to October.
“We’ve been getting $43 a carton for our jazz apples and a carton is 12kg,” Mr Armour said.
“In comparison, our other varieties are only making $26-$34 a carton and you need at least $26 a carton to break even.
“So the jazz apples are really keeping us going and we sell nearly twice as much as the other apple varieties.”
Mr Armour said seasonal conditions had been good this year because the family’s 40ha property had managed to avoid hail damage.
“We have 50 per cent of our trees covered by mesh and we’ll be expanding the mesh this year to ensure our new jazz plantings will be covered,” he said.
“It is costly but when the hail hits it causes a lot of damage and loss.''
Source: weeklytimesnow.com.au
