A new set of apricot varieties developed by Plant & Food Research may offer the New Zealand stonefruit industry a classic taste with a modern feel.
Summerfruit New Zealand chairman Gary Bennetts told an Otago Chamber of Commerce forum last week the new varieties “looked inspiring”, reported the Otago Daily Times.
The new varieties are descended from the Moorpark variety, famously described in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park as being superior to all other apricots, and still a favourite with consumers for the variety’s classic taste.
Moorpark is a delicate fruit, however, making commercial production difficult. The new varieties aim to overcome that with better handling properties, giving them good potential on export markets.
“People love it, but it’s difficult to handle. There’s a fine balance between having it ripe enough to sell and it being firm enough for shopkeepers to handle, without marking,” said Mr Bennetts.
“Some of the new varieties of apricots with a bit of a wow factor are from the old Moorpark variety, so it’s going back to the taste of them, only they look good as well as tasting good.”
Summerfruit New Zealand’s annual industry conference is also underway today, and Mr Bennets has announced at the event an aim of increasing domestic stonefruit consumption from 3kg to 5kg a year per capita.
He also detailed plans to build more comprehensive data on the size of the country’s stonefruit sector, and that only parts of the industry have a good picture of total production, which needed to change.
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