Apricots

• 192 Suppliers
• Early flowering
  • Susceptible to frost damage
• Short growing season
  • Less likely to be affected by drought
• Biennial bearing
  • 6,000 – 10,000 tonnes (7,500 avg)

Peaches

• Up to 200 suppliers
• Tree planting schemes in mid 1990’s
  • Production peaked in 2006
  • Lead time – 4 to 7 years
  • Tree life – 16 to 18 years
• Harvest – January to March
  • Harvested at full maturity
  • Usually picked 2 to 3 times
• Crop estimating is most difficult for peaches
  • Large number of varieties
  • Tree plantings are a moving target
  • Peach fruit size rapidly in last 10 days prior to harvest
  • Achievement of crop potential is weather dependent

Pears

• 200+ suppliers
• Average tree age > 50 years
• More stable crop
  • Long term
  • Annually
• Harvest Jan to Feb
  • Pears are harvested green
  • Ripening is a controlled process
• Intake is regulated by Pear Quota
  • Based upon delivery performance in previous 3 years
• Logistics
  • Pears require more handling than other crops
  • Each pear is bin handled up to 16 times

Plums

• 90 suppliers
• Satsuma main variety
• Biennial cropping
  • 1,000 – 2,300 tonnes (Avg 1,600t)
• Easy to grow
• Harvested at full maturity

Tomatoes

• 8 varieties grown
• Annual crop
  • Beds prepared – April
  • Seed Sown – Sept / Nov
  • Harvest – January to April
• Harvest once only
• Storage – up to 24 hours

Apples

• 200+ suppliers
• Slicing
• Dicing
• Puree / Juice
  • Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady
• Biennial cropping

Grapes

• Grown in Robinvale, Swan Hill
  • Thompson Seedless (sultana) is only variety
  • Grown under covers
  • Harvested according to supply schedule
  • Storage up to 7 days

Beetroot

• Sourced
  • Cowra NSW
  • Robinvale and Swan Hill Vic
• Annual crop
  • Beds prepared Oct
  • Seed sown Jan / Feb
  • Harvest May to June

Mangoes

• Sourced
  • North Qld – Ayr, Giru and Bowen