WHILE farmers generally welcome rain, it wasn’t the case for mango growers in the Mareeba-Dimbulah region whose mango harvest was slowed due to wet conditions over Christmas.
The Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA) reported that showers and rain across the growing region in the lead up to the new year resulted in significantly lower dispatch volumes than what was forecast.
“Harvest across the region is continuing although showers and rain may further delay harvest at times,” the AMIA said.
“While there has been an impact on some lines, we anticipate overall volumes from the region will build through early to mid January.
“Kensington Pride, R2E2, Honey Gold and Calypso are now being harvested.
“Late varieties such as Keitt will commence harvest in early February and growers are confident of harvesting high quality mangoes through this harvest period.”
January is the peak harvest period for the region.
Meanwhile, the AMIA is looking for growers to trial new varieties of mangoes under the National Mango Breeding Program.
Three new varieties are available for commercial evaluation. The AMIA is managing the release and commercialisation process.
Three growers are being sought from six main production regions including Mareeba/Dimbulah and Bowen/Burdekin. The growers would need to plant 500 trees of each of the three new varieties.
