Australia’s mango harvest is expected to start this week, beginning in Katherine in the Northern Territory and Kununurra in Western Australia this weekend.
Harvested volumes are expected to be on par with last year, Fruitnet.com was told by Mano Babiolakis, managing director of grower-exporter Global Rewards.
“At the moment it’s looking like steady season,” he said. “Estimates are still looking alright, but I’m not sure how the season will pan out, because I know Darwin has had a massive fruit drop recently.”
The quality of the fruit is reportedly good, with average sizing better than last year.
Singapore and Hong Kong will again be the focus on the export front for the R2E2 variety, while the Kensington Pride variety will focus on the domestic market and the Middle East.
The loosening of quarantine requirements earlier this year for Australian mangoes entering China directly has opened some opportunities, but whether they’re practical remains to be seen, according to Mr Babiolakis.
“We’re currently looking at doing something to China out of Mareeba `in Queensland`, and we’ve got all the orchards and packhouses registered with the Chinese authorities,” he explained to Fruitnet.com. “Now it’s just a matter of determining if it’s any good commercially.”
The newly opened South Korean market is unlikely to get any significant volumes of Australian mangoes this season, with tough entry requirements dissuading the country’s exporters.
“With Korea, the problem is the protocol, which requires a Korean inspector to be present,” said Mr Babiolakis. “We don’t have enough understanding of the market requirements and demand to justify the cost of that.”
