There will be about 2.2 million trays of mangoes grown in the Darwin region this season but growers will be faced with higher labour costs because of an extended harvest period, the ABC reported.
ABC Rural reported the the 2.2 million trays of mangoes figure was similar to last year’s total harvest but also reported Australian Mango Industry Association president Trevor Dunmall saying the Top End mango harvest would be extended because of the weather.
“Growers are reporting there’s fruit coming into market already, but also fruit at a very young age on the tree,” Mr Dunmall was reported as saying.
“So for growers that means they spend more time in the orchard and spend more money on labour, because they have to go past the trees multiple times for picking.”
The ABC reported KP mangoes were selling in Darwin supermarkets for $3.90 each, while and R2E2 mangoes are selling for $5 each, and premium trays of KP mangoes were selling for $55 to $60 at the Sydney Markets this week.
The NT Farmers say 52 per cent of Australia’s mango crop is produced in the NT which also has the earliest start to the crop harvest.
Appalling prices pretty much the same as thirty years ago, many of the trees are disease ridden and a lot of orchards have been bulldozed.