A drop off in prices for Riverland stonefruit is always ‘to be expected’ in a year with good crop sizes, says Orchardist and former Nuffield Scholarship recipient Jason Size. “We’ve been harvesting for four weeks in total now. Crop quality has generally been good but I would expect prices to be dropping off.”
There is still premium fruit available, and wholesale market websites say it is attracting prices of $15-$20 per kilo, and normal grade starting at around $4 per kilo.
As a rule consumers will always be happier to buy when the price comes down, according to Mr Size. While there are reports of competition among growers, areas such as Cobram and Swan Hill have varieties that mature at different times to avoid oversupply, according to another orchardist, Michael Tripodi.
Peaches and nectarines are well and truly underway for Mr Size’s orchard, plums are half way through their first variety, and apricots are coming to a close also on his orchard.. “A bit of rain during the growing season has had an impact, but where we are we could have had a lot more, so we’ve been pretty lucky,” he says.
Exports are also ‘dearly needed’ for stonefruit growers to thrive, Mr Size says, and new markets, especially China, will continue to make the industry more viable. There have been a series of trade delegations to China and other Asian countries to promote Australian stonefruit and position growers to take advantage of market access opportunities where and when available, and Mr Size says the industry is ‘ready to go’.
