211,103 tonnes of plums for processingare expected; 4 times as much as last season, and also 100,703 tonnes of peaches.
Growers from Mendoza, Argentina, are expecting to harvest a lot of fruit in the 2012/13 season, especially those devoted to dried plums and peaches for fresh consumption.
Statistics from the Institute for Rural Development confirm it: Mendoza's fruit harvest, unless affected by unexpected weather conditions, will reach 667,946 tonnes combining all species and varieties; the highest production volume in the last 7 years.
The predicted volumes of plums for processing are clearly the highest of all, with 211,000 tonnes. Plums also register the largest inter-annual increase, as the harvest is 4 times larger than last season; a figure still to be readjusted in late January.
Meanwhile, without a significant increase in the acreage, 100,703 tonnes of peaches are expected to be harvested; an increase of almost 25%, although there are concerns about their quality due to the combined effect of zonda wind and hailstorms.
On the other side of the scale, pome fruits are still going through a bad moment, with both pears and apples falling for the second year in a row. There has also been a loss in acreage, from 4,135 hectares in 2009/10 to the current 2,981 hectares.
"These figures can be linked to the recovery in the eastern and northern parts of the country, where last year frosts caused a drop in production, and in turn, industrial plums are strongly entering production in the south, which significantly increases our harvest estimates, although experience tells us to be cautious, as some of the fruit will drop from the trees and this will lead to a readjustment of the figures in the second half of January. Therefore, while a lot more fruit is still expected, we cannot consider the 211,000 tonnes an accurate final estimate at the moment," explains Francisco Gómez, general manager of IDR.
Source: losandes.com.ar