Harvesting of UK Victoria plums began in earnest this week as marketing desks have been keen to plug a six-day gap in supplies.
"The burst of hot weather prematurely brought the Opal and Reeves early season to a close so that consumer awareness was not able to build," said Wayne Smith of The Summerfruit Company.
Picking of Victoria is about a week later than last year and the weather conditions have meant the picking time is shortened. "Most of the crop will be picked over the next two-and-a-half weeks and will have to go into storage," said Smith.
Worldwide Fruit also began picking Victoria this week, but marketing director Steve Maxwell is concerned that the contracted Opal and Reeves availability will have a knock-on effect on the mainstay variety. "The initial problem is always the fight for shelf space but it has been harder this year with the gap between the end of Opal and start of Victoria," said Maxwell.
Worldwide Fruit is working out picking dates on a farm-by-farm basis to manage fruit availability and quality and ensure a six-week season. "We have a crop more or less the same size as last year, and quality looks good. We have had the right amount of sun and water. But we have got make sure that we don't pick in flush," said Maxwell.
He also warned against promoting on price in a depressed market. "Victoria is not like a Spanish plum, we are selling something that is totally different, and needs a different focus and it can command a higher price," he said. "We do not want to sell at 99p a kilo."
Victoria will go through until Marjorie Seedling starts in the second week of September.
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