Last season, Australian grape exports enjoyed their 2nd best season in terms of value, with exports of over 140,000 tonnes to the value of almost AUD600 million. According to Jeff Scott, CEO of Table Grapes Australia, it was a bit of a mixed season.
"The start of the season was very good, then we had a hot spell which caused some of the fruit to go soft. So, growers rushed to get it off very quickly, which led to big volumes of grapes on the market at the same time. The quality and the taste of the fruit were exceptional, but it was just a little bit soft. Returns across the board are down or the same as last year, which is causing a bit of pain to some of our growers as our input costs are going up all the time."
© Nichola McGregor | FreshPlaza.com
The Chinese economy is slow at the moment, which has been reflected in returns, but Jeff is sure the market will pick up soon.
"Australia got access to additional varieties in Japan this season. We went from 3,500 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes, so it has been a huge success story, and there is still strong demand for our fruit, so we are expecting it to continue to grow. Australia also increased its grape exports to every country last season, and Indonesia is another good market with 30,000 tonnes, Australia's second biggest market."
The lack of increase in returns for growers has an impact on investment in the industry. Planting new vineyards costs money, especially with the new IP varieties. Growers are having to be very careful when making those decisions.
"The increase in planted acreage is slowing a bit, but growers are re-developing and planting new varieties and are investing in new varieties which are bigger, have a better appearance, are sweeter, can travel better, and have better yields."
It is winter now, and the vines are in the hibernation period. It will be a couple of months before growers get any indication of how next season will look, but there has been sufficient chill factor through the winter and some nice rain.
For more information:
Jeff Scott
ATGA
Tel: +61 417 122 086
Email: [email protected]