Global production of the Plumac apple variety continues to rise, with plantings set to begin in Australia over the next 12 months, according to Fairfax Media.
Marketed under the Koru brand, the variety is being control releasedby New Zealand’s McGrath Nurseries. The prospective Australian production base will add to existing plantings in New Zealand, the US, Europe, Russia, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
Due to quarantine concerns surrounding the threat of fireblight, Plumac trees can’t be exported from New Zealand into Australia, meaning certified rootstock will instead be imported from the US.
Andy McGrath, who owns and operates McGrath Nurseries, told Fairfax advanced plans were in place to grow Plumac in Tasmania and New South Wales, with contracts set to be signed-off in early 2016.
“We are looking at an initial Australian production of about a quarter of a million cartons, just for the local market,” McGrath said. “First commercial quantities of fruit should be available for Australian consumers by about 2020.'
Over 38,000 cartons of Koru apples were exported from New Zealand in 2015, with production tipped to rise to around 100,000 cartons over the upcoming 2016 season. The first commercial crop out of the US has also been harvested, with McGrath confident the apple’s flavour profile will make it an instant hit with consumers.
“There are so many average apples out there,” McGrath told Fairfax. “This one we just haven’t been able to fault. From consumer taste tests to agronomic characteristics, it ticks all the boxes.”
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