Australian Imported Stone Fruit Cheaper During Holidays

Australia is approaching summer, and with that comes an abundance of stone fruits. This includes the ever-popular peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and cherries! The continent is in the Southern hemisphere means that while the majority of the world is experiencing colder weather, Australia is instead experiencing hot summer and bountiful harvests– in time for the festive year-end season! As it is now the stone fruit season, there’s an abundance of fruits available in Australian orchards. As such, Malaysia will also see the prices of imported Australian fruits drop for the time being, so we can stock up on all our favourite fresh fruits.

Australian stone fruits are particularly appropriate for the year-end holiday, as they make for a festive addition with their bright colours and sweet tastes. You’d be able to enjoy decadent delights such as cherry pies or fruit tarts, or even the whole fruit on its own. Additionally, we’ve been told that Australia takes particular care to keep their exported fruits fresh and crisp even after transport.

Stone fruit’ is the general term used for some fruit of the Prunus species. In NSW, stone fruits grown include cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots and prunes. There is both temperate and low-chill stone fruit grown in NSW, and within each species, there may be a number of varieties grown in a given area. Varieties are chosen for each area based on variables such as soils, water quality and availability, chill units, and market advantage.

NSW DPI has staff dedicated to working with stone fruit. Research and extension officers are involved in projects investigating issues such as rootstock and variety assessment; irrigation and nutrition management; biological control; IPDM (Integrated Pest and Disease Management); crop load management; and factors affecting market access.

Article by: Hari Yellina (Orchard Tech)