Short sharp start to royal gala harvest

摘要

A short sharp start to the pipfruit harvest in Hawke's Bay has led to record receivals at packing sheds as fruit off Royal Gala trees pours in for processing. Hawke's Bay Fruitgrowers' Association president Leon Stallard says despite the compressed harvest season, the quality of fruit has been high. Exceedingly high temperatures in late summer have led to some sunburn, but less than may have been expected. Packouts for many growers have been higher than 90 per cent for the first pick, and size is far bigger than last year. Leon questions whether bumper volumes predicted for Royal Gala will eventuate.