Total berries lifted slightly in revenue while volume saw a modest rise, signalling a steady week

overall. Despite some crop shifts between regions, the category is holding firm as spring supply

continues to even out.

Strawberries had a strong week, with revenue and volume both climbing. Queensland’s season

is easing, while Victoria and South Australia are ramping up as more growers come online.

National volume is expected to increase more noticeably over the next three to four weeks as

southern production builds.

Blueberries softened this week, with volume and revenue easing as East Coast supply volumes

experience a quiet period before the transition into rabbiteye begins. Once this next harvest

gains pace, supply should stabilise then ramp up leading into summer.

Raspberries recorded a healthy bump in both volume and revenue, a welcome sign after a few

quieter weeks. Availability continues to improve as plants recover from recent cool and wet

conditions, helping to support consistent supply and quality.

Blackberries continued their upward trend with a gentle increase in both volume and revenue.

The season is still in its early stages, but fruit is looking strong, and retailers are showing

renewed interest as supply becomes more reliable week to week.

Blueberries

Coffs Coast – Coffs Coast blueberry volume has continued to taper and is currently coming

through at a steady rate. We anticipate the climb to begin in 2–3 weeks as growers start their

rabbiteye harvest. The weather over the next week is generally warm and mostly sunny, with

temperatures ranging from 22° to 28° and occasional showers early in the week. Breezy periods

are expected midweek, with high UV levels and humid conditions later in the week, particularly

over the weekend.

Northern Rivers – The Northern Rivers blueberry region is moving through the tail end of the

season, with most blocks past peak and some finishing soon. Daily volumes are steady, with

good quality fruit still coming through. A few blocks are producing smaller picks, and overall

quality remains strong across the remaining harvest.

The week ahead is mostly warm and sunny, with temperatures ranging from 22° to 31°. There is

a chance of showers or thunderstorms on Monday, Friday, and Saturday, while the other days

remain mostly dry and suitable for harvesting.

South Australia – Supply in South Australia is currently at its peak and holding steady. Volumes

are expected to remain stable for the next couple of weeks before entering a sharp decline.

The week ahead is mostly warm and sunny, with temperatures ranging from 22° to 29°. Winds

will be strong at times, reaching up to 32 km/h, and high UV levels are expected throughout most

days, peaking at 11.0. Cloudy periods are minimal, with Monday and Thursday seeing some

cloud cover.Raspberries

Raspberry volumes continue to track upwards as production in the Coffs Coast region ramps up.

Coles is moving to 170g packs in NSW from this week, with Aldi and Woolworths expected to

follow suit next week.

Early indications point to strong volume lead-ups into Christmas, supported by robust demand.

This may be influenced by reports from Tasmanian growers indicating their production is

currently behind schedule.

Retailers are continuing to report quality concerns, with ongoing pressure from pests and rot still

being observed.

Strawberries

East Coast: Strong supply continues along the East Coast, with fruit coming from Qld, VIC, SA

and WA. Quality is mixed, particularly from the tail end of Qld fruit. Strawberry volumes have

ramped up from VIC and SA, with most growers online now and the season in full swing.

West Coast: The season in the North of Perth is slowing down and is close to finishing. The

major issue in this growing region is that the traditionally grown (in-ground/outside) quality is

becoming the primary concern for retailers. Quality stock from the West Coast is being sent East

to supplement the slow start from the Victorian / Tasmanian start-up.

In the southern producing regions, we have seen progress slow with cooler, rainy days.

However, across the region, despite the poor weather, we are seeing some good-quality fruit in

retail.

This week will continue to have good growing conditions in the Southwest, with single-digit

nighttime temperatures and only one day above 25 (Tuesday). The minimum and maximum

temperatures of the region are tracking close to historical averages for the start of the month;

however, we are expecting cooler nights for the rest of the month, well below historical averages,

which we expect will assist in producing great fruit from this region. The long-range (Dec to Feb)

forecast for WA is expecting less rain but warmer-than-historical median temperatures.

(Source – Bom.gov.au)