pple harvest got underway in mid January in the Riverland, Southern Australia with the Gala apples, while in Tasmania the harvest is just about to start.Garry Langford, from APAL said the growing season has been good but some very hot weather in the middle of January caused some damage in Victoria. "We are used to hot temperatures and it won't affect the overall volumes which will be just under 300,000 tonnes, around the same as last year."
The first variety harvested is Gala, after that it will be Granny Smiths, Golden and Red Delicious, Cripps Pink and Sundowner, Langford explained that Gala is the main variety and the volumes of Red and Golden Delicious are falling.
According to Claire Fitchett, Market Development Manager at APAL, there are not too many imported apples in Australia at the moment, some from China but on the whole the domestic market is strong for Australian apples.
On the other hand the export market is growing with volumes of Gala, Granny Smiths and Pink Lady going to the South East Asian markets. "This year we will export around 3,000 tonnes to SE Asia and hope to increase this in the future. At the moment only Tasmania can export directly into China and we hope to see trade start this year."
Australia will also export to the UK in September and October when there is a gap before the domestic production starts. Fitchett expects a good market this season due South Africa's problems with hail. Australia sent around 450 tonnes to the UK in 2013 but anticipates larger volumes this year.
