HB Fruitgrowers Association Newsletter
January 2025
While there is plenty of the Hawkes Bay Summerfruit season to go its worthwhile having a bit of a review.
Winter was cold with chilling starting early. There was plenty of soil moisture and the weather at pollination was mostly pretty good, even for apricots. Despite there being some possibility of Cyclone Gabrielle hangovers, fruit set was good without being over the top in most cases. Cherries and apricots in the lower chill area of Bay View set good crops and with the warm dry conditions post bloom, started harvest 12-14 days earlier than normal. Bay View and previously Esk Valley are important as that’s were the first fruit of any season comes from. That and the one Wairoa grower who has had a very good season as well.
The dry weather until Boxing Day has been fantastic for fruit quality, with very few complaints from the markets, as well as the farmgate price holding up well for the whole season. It has truly been one out of the box.
We were warned that La Nina like conditions might become apparent by the end of the year. Since Boxing Day the clouds have rolled in and set up camp. We have gone from 30˚C plus to high teens and low twenties with rain, rewinding the memory to seasons immediately past. Despite the change in weather pattern, there is good Summerfruit available, and this should be so for another three weeks and longer for plums.
The shelves are now full of Central Otago cherries, and they are good buying. Peach and nectarine from there should dovetail very nicely with the end of Hawkes Bay supply. All in all, the 2024/5 season has seen good volumes of quality fruit selling at prices over the cost of production.
