Stonefruit supplies in the UK have been tightening as a seasonal lull is exacerbated by further problems in source countries.

Importers have been experiencing a number of difficulties. One told freshinfo: “Peaches and nectarine arrivals always tend to dry up at this point in the season, but this year Argentina has had problems with the weather and Chile too, even before the earthquake struck.

“With the Chilean season under pressure, Australian suppliers are finding there is increased demand for their fruit, not just from Asia, but further afield.”

Some UK buyers have even been looking at Uruguay to try to source peaches and nectarines to fill the gap until Egypt comes on stream next month.

Chris McCurrach, category manager at British & Brazilian, said: “We source the majority of our fruit from South Africa where we have very strong relationships with our growers, who provide a constant supply of good-quality plums. But I know that Chile has had some problems with low fruit set and some orchards have been affected by the earthquake, which has cranked things up a notch.”

McCurrach expects the situation to remain “challenging” for several more weeks. He said: “Plums from the northern hemisphere don’t really kick in until June, and May is usually difficult. There may be some early plums available from Israel in the middle of the month and Egypt is expected to come on stream with peaches in the first week of April, with nectarines to follow.”

Reports from North Africa indicate that there is plenty of good Egyptian fruit on trees, although in terms of size, product is bulking up slowly this year.

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