AU: Queen Garnet plum in short supply
Alistair Brown, managing director of Harrosmiths, one of the licensed marketers of the plum, said that while there was a greater supply than last year, it was lower than forecast.
“The crop is a little bit down on what we had predicted due to some poor weather in September,” he said.
“As a result we’re in the enviable position of being undersupplied with very high demand. We are hoping to have enough for six weeks; it would be great to get through to the middle of March, but we might be struggling.”
Brisbane shops were selling them last week for almost $20kg.
The plum was bred by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for its use in fighting lifestyle diseases and slowing ageing as it has about three to six times the antioxidant content of blueberries.
Mr Brown said its popularity was growing for several reasons.
“The under-current for me is it’s a great eating piece of fruit, and very unique,” he said.
“I think people probably start consuming it because they’ve heard the potential benefits, and then they’ve realised how tasty it is.”
Source: http://www.news.com.au
