Harvest Trends week 48 - 2010 - FreshFruitPortal.com

Harvest Trends week 48 -- 2010

Harvest situation in the Southern Hemisphere, week 48 -- 2010

Avocado

Exports of Hass avocados from Chile remain limited, in line with the lower volumes projected for this season, although in weeks 46 and 47, shipments have tended to rise. Nevertheless, they are 25% less than last season. As of week 47, about 50,000 metric tons have been exported, versus 124,000 MT last season. The  harvest is about 60% complete on average, reaching 80-90% in areas such as Petorca, La Ligua and Cabildo.

In Peru, the avocado industry is negotiating a change in terms to enter the United States, because the condition of the fruit deteriorates quickly with the current phytosanitary protocols. Nevertheless, exporters fear that the situation won’t change for the 2011 season, which would complicate the harvest of the big volumes that are expected.

Stonefruit

The beginning of the stonefruit harvests  in the Southern Hemisphere have not suffered weather setbacks, except for the wind in Argentine, which had a minor effect. The season continues to progress normally, with good-quality fruit, in South Africa as well as Chile and Argentina.

In South Africa, the harvest of early plum varieties is finishing, and the harvest of Sapphire is beginning. In Chile and Argentina, the harvest of early varieties is just starting, and Black Ambar, the first variety with significant volumes in both countries, should begin around week 50. Plum exports in these three countries already started, but are very limited for all. For peaches and nectarines, as of week 47, export volumes from Chile total 1,100 MT and from South Africa total 5,200 MT. In both cases, the season is earlier than last year.

Photo: wikipedia.org

Source: iQonsulting/www.freshfruitportal.com