Thommy Braybrook, Manager of Nutrano Produce Group’s Sunwest farm at Red Cliffs in the Sunraysia region, said this year’s crop of Delite mandarins is looking particularly good.
Delite mandarins are seedless and have a sugar content of more than 12 brix. Sunwest Farm has about 120,000 trees (about 550 a hectare) growing under shade cloths, to protect them from pests. The trees were planted between 2004 and 2006 on the 170ha property, some 20km south of Mildura.
Braybrook said they flowered in late October-early November, while picking of the fruit began in late July-early August and would continue until September. This year’s crop looked to be average in terms of size, with 1500 420-kg bins filled so far.
Nutrano executive general manager of marketing and export Brett Jackson is expecting record sales this year: “With their easy to peel skins and distinctive sweet fragrance, Delite mandarins are the perfect fruit for school lunch boxes.”
Weeklytimesnow.com.au reports that the fruit is being sold exclusively through Woolworths supermarkets.
