Total Royal Gala volumes are also below those forecast at the season’s start by five per cent.
“Some areas had a significant frost during the flowering period, which cosmetically affected more fruit than expected,” Pipfruit NZ chairman Ian Palmer told freshinfo. “We also had higher sunshine than usual, increasing the sunburn defect level.”
The shortfall means that the market should be in good shape, especially come the crucial southern-northern hemisphere handover in September. “Generally, the UK market has been in a good, stable state. This is a good situation for all concerned,” said Palmer. “We are always under reasonable competitive pressure on Royal Gala from other southern-hemisphere suppliers, so we work hard to keep our quality to the levels demanded by the customer. In-market pricing has been very stable.”
And although the Braeburn crop is down on initial estimates, Palmer believes it will be above that of 2006. “The total volume of Braeburn in the market should be slightly higher than last year, but still within the supply-demand balance.”
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