JASA Packaging Systems is a packaging and weighing specialist for the fruit and vegetables industry in New Zealand and Australia. The machines of the Dutch manufacturer of packaging machines are well known in both New Zealand and Australia for the packing of fresh fruit and vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, onions, processed vegetables etc into pillow packs for the Supermarket Chains. Tomatoes and other small fruits are being packed into the JASA ‘Doy Style’ Stand Up Bags for optimum presentation, as an added point of difference to the regular Pillow Pack.
The Australian mango industry is seeing the fruits of its labour over the past few years, with early results from the latest season showing an increase in dollar values across all markets.
“We haven’t got final numbers yet, but all indications are that there is a higher dollar value than in the previous year,” Australian Mango Industry Association CEO Robert Gray says.
“We’ve generally had a good year. Quality has been very good, exports are up on the previous year, and domestic market customers have had a good year in terms of quality and sales.”
At this stage the total volume for the season is expected to be 10% to 15% lower than 2015’s record crop of 9.5 million trays, but Mr Gray says the higher prices are making up for any loss in production
“The feedback I’ve got from growers is that they’ve had an improvement in profitability,” he says.
“I think it’s due to the realisation of the work that’s been done across a number of areas in the industry. We’ve had a big focus on quality over last couple of years, particularly when it comes to maturity of the fruit, which leads to improved flavour.
“We’ve also focused on good, robust throughput data. So crop timing and quantities, as well as aligning the rhythm of the crop with retail marketing activities, which means we’ve been able to market them to consumers more effectively. Generally we’ve been more coordinated in our approach to all elements of the industry, from R&D right through to consumer marketing.”
Mr Gray says exports continue to grow, with the addition of the US market this season showing promise of a strong, new market for Australian mangoes.
“It’s still in a trial phase but it’s looking increasingly like we’ve got a really good industry in the US for Australian mangoes with our unique varieties,” he says.
“But we’ve really seen improvement in all export markets from Asia right through to the Middle East.”
A major focus for the industry has been on informing customers and consumers about the different varieties of Australian mangoes available.
The five varieties that make up the main season, along with their respective approximate marketshare are: Kensington Pride (65%), Calypso™ (20%), R2E2 (6%) and Honey Gold™ (4%) and Keitt (3%).
“All our varieties are in demand across a whole range of markets,” Mr Gray says.
“That in itself has been a growth strategy for us – focusing on the range of flavours and textures as they provide consumers with different usages and a broader season.”
The main mango season in Australia is from September to March, but Mr Gray says that late season varieties such as Palmer, Kent, Pearl and Brooks, as well as differences in growing regions mean that there can be Australian fruit available for around nine months of the year.
“Last year there was a small quantity of early fruit out of the Northern Territory back in July, and there’s still some Brooks on the market now, and few will be around in April.”
With the main season winding down now, Mr Gray says that the Australian Mango Industry Association is in the process of reviewing data as it comes in.
“We’re doing a lot of reviews with customers on how the season went, what went well, what could be done better, and we’ll use that information when we begin planning for the start of the next season,” he says.
“Come July we’ll roll out a series of roadshows with growers, where we’ll be talking about the results of this year and, more importantly, plans for the next 12 months.”
