The total berry category moved mostly sideways week on week, primarily due to all categories not seeing incremental production. Regarding Blueberries, quality is still being heavily scrutinized, however, most issues come from winter crops that are on their final or last picks so we should see this improve.
Far North QLD (FNQ)- This region has finished up for the season and is now into pruning. Whilst the growing conditions are extremely trying at times with many different challenges vs production much further south, they have had very few quality issues throughout the season. Overall, this was the best season for production (total KG’s and Quality) and to achieve both in the same year is a massive achievement by the team in FNQ, well done!
Coffs Coast NSW—We’re now seeing the second-last-to-last harvest of 1111s from the region, and most farms are well into pruning. The additional volume we are seeing in the market is from Arana, as they peak over the next few weeks. The weather for this week looks stable, with some sporadic rain mid-week, which is much better than the forecast we saw 7 days ago. rabbiteye crops in the region are looking very well set, and bar any weather issues, we should see a great crop.
WA Blueberry Production—Volumes moved sideways for the total Berry category last week across both standard and premium SKUs. Looking at the upcoming weather for the north of Perth, it’s going to be unseasonably warm for both nights and days (see below chart). In Southwest WA, we are expecting warmer temperatures as well. But nights are only 10-12 degrees, which will provide relief for the growers.
Strawberries – As noted last week, we have moved past the volume drop-off with a significant bounce, with volumes increasing out of VIC/SA. Retail in QLD is down to $2.50 vs $3.50 at the start of the week, with NSW and VIC still holding higher. I would expect VIC to be the next market that drops in price, with this being the closest market to the production area. WA Southern Production should see a jump this week with the warmer weather, and it might see a few of the North Perth growers finish up for the season if the weather is warmer than expected.
Raspberries – Volume across the country decreased week on week, but significant volume is coming through in the coming weeks (especially from our grower base), and the price at the moment has held week on week. We are seeing some good quality come through the warehouse at present with isolated issues being noted. With relatively good growing conditions this week, we expect volumes to increase again (from our group) and the market will start to increase in line with our growers.
As per our previous communication, please ensure that you have booked your audits; we have noted a lot of activity in this area, which is really encouraging. Please ensure that you have all 3 (Freshcare, HARPS and Ethical Sourcing); otherwise, as per our prior communication, your fruit will be moved via the central markets.
Blackberries—Volume has decreased over the week, but the velocity of volume over the last six weeks suggests that there was going to be a week when volume dropped off a little before another surge. In the short term, Blackberries are starting to get more space in stores as we see other categories, such as Blueberries, drop off in the next few weeks.
