Insights September 2023

Commodity overview

• Mango season is well underway across Darwin. Total Darwin mango production has been forecast at about 2.2 million trays this season by the Australian Mango Industry Association.
• Fantastic growing conditions across the major south-eastern growing region in Queensland has driven a substantial uplift in vegetable supply across key winter varieties.

Fruit

Mango season is well underway across Darwin. There were 36,000 trays sent to market last week. This compares to 71,000 trays which were sent to market during the same week last season. Total Darwin mango production has been forecast at about 2.2 million trays this season by the Australian Mango Industry Association. This is down from the 2.6 million trays seen last season. Warmer weather during the winter months negatively impacted fruit set and also led to the more delayed start to picking that has been seen. This will see elevated mango prices over summer, particularly in comparison to last season.

Vegetables

South-eastern Queensland has seen fantastic growing conditions for vegetables. A major growing region, this driven a substantial uplift in vegetable supply across key winter varieties. These varieties include tomatoes, capsicum and eggplants. Wholesale pricing for red capsicums out of Queensland are down over 66 per cent year-on year with gourmet tomatoes back by almost 55 per cent over the same period. Eggplants are 43 per cent cheaper.

Nuts

The Varroa mite has been detected in an almond plantation located in the Sunraysia region on the Victorian and New South Wales border.  Only a low level of the mites have been found and there have so far been no detections in Victoria.  Varroa mite is a parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honeybees. This detection has seen the committee overseeing the response to the outbreak consider if a change in strategy from eradication to management of varroa mite is required. The committee will consider the technical feasibility and whether it remains beneficial from a cost perspective to continue to expend funding on an eradication. Should the industry move into a management phase, supply chain costs would likely increase. This would likely see costs passed onto consumers over the longer term.

Sunraysia accounts for 60 per cent of the nation’s almond production. As such, there are a significant number of beehives currently located in the region. The detection comes towards the back end of the almond pollination period across the key Sunraysia production region. There isn’t expected to be a significant impact to the yields of the 2024 almond crop with the pollination essentially already finished. With the flowering of almond plantations at an end, beehives were given permission to be moved out of the region late last week. This is due to bees without food would soon begin starving. All beehives moved out of the region will remain under supervision.

* The Tropical Fruit Index includes bananas, mangoes, papaws, passionfruit and pineapples
** The Nightshade Vegetable Index includes capsicums, chillies, tomatoes and eggplants.
Sources: Ausmarket Consultants, Rural Bank