Sydney Markets supplies a third of population
It's an anxious time for growers, as they cope with untimely storms or drought, but it's no less demanding on the wholesalers.
Colin Gray, chief executive of the Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries, says the 5,000 workers and 850 forklift truck drivers have been working flat out since early in the morning, unloading 500 B-double trucks.
John is a provedore buying fresh strawberries and cherries to supply restaurants in Sydney. He's none too happy with the quality of strawberries, as the recent hot wet weather has caused havoc with the fruit. Conscious that his income and reputation rest on quality supply to fussy clients, he's hopeful he can sort that out.
The stone fruits, however, are exceptional, according to the president of the NSW Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries, Bill Chalk. "Mangoes are extremely good, and the best have just arrived, with the Kensington Pride and R2E2 varieties."
Mr Chalk's wholesale business, Southern Cross Produce, has also invested in tomato production at Bowen in North Queensland, and he says this year it's been a disaster.
"Bowen season copped an early cyclone and then for whatever reason it didn't produce. Where you need to have 8000 boxes a hectare, we were getting 1400 boxes."
But Mr Chalk ploughs on at his wholesale stall in Sydney, and demonstrates a wonderful new variety of peach coming from Shepparton. The donut peach, developed in the United States, is a non-clingstone, white peach, with a tiny pip. It's grown in Victoria.
The Sydney Markets have set up a vital waste recycling unit, that takes not just perished produce, but also the polystyrene boxes, plastic and cardboard. 65 per cent of all the waste is recycled, produce into compost and foam boxes are crushed and exported to be turned into picture frames.
Source: abc.net.au
