After a troubled 2010 season, Australia’s citrus crop has bounced back this year to production much like that seen in 2009. The wet summer and autumn that have troubled other horticulture sectors in Australia over the past six months have proved a boon to the citrus industry, with growing conditions described by some as “ideal”.
The early valencia crop has got the season off to a strong start, according to peak body Citrus Australia’s CEO Judith Damiani.
“The start of that was so strong – growers were getting A$1,000 a tonne. I’ve never seen prices so high,” she told Fruitnet.com.
The wet start has, however, pushed the season back by two to three weeks on average, although Ms Damiani said that is by no means a bad thing for exports, and Australian oranges should be available right through until November.
Volumes across all three major production regions; the Riverina in New South Wales, Riverland in South Australia and Sunraysia across the border between New South Wales and Victoria; have risen back to historical average volumes.
When it comes to navel oranges, the Sunraysia is forecast to produce 88,632 tonnes, closely followed by the Riverland with a crop forecast of 85,000 tonnes, and then the Riverina with 75,000 tonnes.
The Riverina remains the largest valencia orange-growing region by a long way, with a crop forecast of 130,000 tonnes, while the Riverland and Sunraysia are each set to produce around 37,000 tonnes of valencias.
In Mildura at the heart of the Sunraysia region, Ferdi Bergamin of Mildura Fruit Company (MFC) said fruit set was good and low wind has meant fruit is free of blemishes. “Production is certainly high,” he told Fruitnet.com. “Its will be one of our biggest seasons in terms of volumes.”
Local industry body the Murray Valley Citrus Board reports that there is a good range of fruit sizes on the trees, with an average-sized peak.
In South Australia’s Riverland, Richie Roberts of AgriExchange said the volume is also looking significantly up on last year.
“We were concerned it was going to be a huge crop of really small fruit, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case,” he detailed. “We’re comfortable with the fruit size.”
In the Riverina in New South Wales, navels are again bouncing back from last year’s low volume, but Valencias in particular are rebounding strongly from 2010’s slim pickings. Average sizes for winter navels there are predicted at 60mm, compared to last year’s 71mm.
