Bumper harvest tipped as our mango season ramps up

The Northern Territory’s mango picking season is about to begin and one producer is tipping a belter season.

THE Territory’s mango harvest has just begun and at least one local producer is predicting it could be a belter.

With the first locally grown Kensington Pride mangoes expected to hit supermarket shelves within a fortnight, Red Rich Fruits director Matthew Palise said favourable conditions could deliver a bumper harvest after a couple of tough years for growers.

A third-generation farming business from Victoria’s Yarra Valley, Red Rich Fruits has been farming NT mangoes for the past six years.

The company has about 26,000 trees on four holdings in the Top End.
It has 36 hectares at Noonamah, which it purchased last year, 120 hectares at Lambells Lagoon, 120 hectares at Darwin River and the smaller Berry Springs packhorse and orchard.

Red Rich Fruits represents a new era of consolidation for mango farmers in the Territory with grower numbers shrinking as challenges and costs mount simultaneously.

Matthew Palise from Red Rich Fruits with mangoes.

“When we bought in the Territory about six years ago it was 30 growers that represented the 600,000 mango trays we produce and pack each year. Now it’s about four growers that represent the same volume,” he said.

“You’ve seen a consolidation, and not just in mangoes, across all sectors where the big are getting bigger and you have to make sure the economies of scale are there.

“The good thing for this season is the KP mango, which we believe is the most delicious mango, is going have be a good season which we haven’t seen in the Northern Territory for a while.”

Mr Palise says mangoes are “temperamental” to grow and spectacularly subject to seasonal variations but he’s forecasting a high-end harvest that could mean Red Rich fruits produce up to 170,000 crates for the season.

“Any Territorian will know the weather up here’s a bit different this season. It’s been warmer longer then we had the late rain which makes it harder for the trees to flower then we had the cold snap two weeks ago which sent the whole industry into flower.

“We’ve got the really early flower which we’re harvesting at Berry Springs, we’ve got the second flower which is mainly across Darwin River, Berry Springs and a little bit of Lambells Lagoon and we’ve got this huge third and fourth flower across Berry Springs and Lambells Lagoon which puts mangoes well into November if the weather allows it.

“This means mangoes will be good value for the customer and hopefully there’s a balance here so the producer can be sustainable but also with all the cost of living pressures there can also be value at the supermarket.

“I think you’ll see Darwin mangoes well into November provided there’s no early rain so we’re confident that the signs are there for us to be able to hit all those metrics.”

As with most businesses Labor will be a challenge but with a pool of workers available via the East Timor and Pacific Island jobs program there should be enough core workers at harvest.

Backpackers are the missing ingredient and with no immediate influx expected, grey nomads may once again pick up some of the harvest slack.

“Picking fruit helps the primary producers of Australia and you can make good money,” Mr Palise said.

“The fruit industry is a good industry if you’re prepared to work. Good pickers can make $200 to $400 a day depending on the product and employer.

“It’s a rewarding job and it can develop into a lot more because produce is a dynamic, rewarding industry filled with great people. It’s just that entry into the industry seems to be a challenge because it’s a bit daunting to go and pick mangoes in 30-degree heat.”

The Australian Mango Industry Association is expected to release sector forecasts in the next fortnight. The Territory’s total harvest in the 2021-22 season was 2.4m trays in Darwin and 2m trays in Katherine.