Newspaper Article 1994 – Apple board still unsure about export variety mix

Apple board still unsure about export variety mix

The Apple and Pear Marketing Board expects to handle the same quantity of export apples as last year, but is less certain about the variety mix.

Board Hawke’s Bay Manager Mark Carrington said this year’s export crop volume would be about six-million. However, it was unclear how the removal of Granny Smith and Red Delicious varieties would ultimately affect pack-outs of those varieties.

“Only time will tell,” he said.

Many growers removed the two varieties last winter and grafted or planted newer high-earning varieties.

Hawke’s Bay Fruitgrowers’ Association pipfruit sector chairman Brian D’Ath said most orchardists would be happy with the way their crops looked.

“Growing-wise, it hasn’t been a bad sort of a year,” he said.

Mr Carrington said board staff began packing and storing Fiesta apples on Monday and Cox’s Orange on Wednesday. Remaining varieties would come on stream progressively from next week. The first shipload of Cox’s Orange was scheduled to leave Napier for Britain at the end of February.

Apples appeared larger than last year, probably reflecting the season’s warmer temperatures.

This year the board’s workforce would peak at more than 200 at its Williams St,. Hastings, and Whakatu storage plants.

Mr D’Ath said picking had started a week later than “normal”, but it was possible later varieties would still come in on time.

“I think there could be pressure on industry to get through the harvest later.”

Growers would prefer cooler nights to increase the day/night temperature variation, which improved apple colour. Recently, humid conditions had kept 24-hour temperatures too even.

Apple size in his Galas and Royal Gal [Gala] had improved considerably over the past days, he said.