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California navels face maturity issues
United States
Monday 10 March 2008
Warm weather over recent weeks is causing California navel oranges to mature at increasingly rapid rates, bringing the prospect of an early end to the export season.
The 2007/08 season got off to one of the earliest starts in history last October, but recent growing conditions have advanced maturity by as much as a month in the estimation of one major grower-shipper.
"Maturity is causing us to grade out more fruit to make one load for export," said the shipper. "The rest is kept at home and it is killing our domestic market. Most of the industry expects exports to be finished at the beginning of April and that is to Korea and Japan. Those guys still shipping to heavy-pack markets like Hong Kong are really taking a risk."
Meanwhile, South Africa's citrus industry is set to commence shipments of new season fruit this week amid indications that the country will harvest another bumper crop in the order of 90m cartons.
The 2007/08 season got off to one of the earliest starts in history last October, but recent growing conditions have advanced maturity by as much as a month in the estimation of one major grower-shipper.
"Maturity is causing us to grade out more fruit to make one load for export," said the shipper. "The rest is kept at home and it is killing our domestic market. Most of the industry expects exports to be finished at the beginning of April and that is to Korea and Japan. Those guys still shipping to heavy-pack markets like Hong Kong are really taking a risk."
Meanwhile, South Africa's citrus industry is set to commence shipments of new season fruit this week amid indications that the country will harvest another bumper crop in the order of 90m cartons.
