Tasmanian apples could fetch top prices this season, with its apple season escaping the bad weather that plagued interstate orchards.
"I think it'll be the largest crop we've had for a while, the largest quality crop," Fruit Growers Tasmania president Scott Price said.
"Hopefully … the market will reward the growers for their effort."
Floods and hailstorms in apple growing areas across the eastern states, the Goulburn Valley and around Shepparton in Victoria in late 2022 destroyed and damaged crops, affecting supplies.
As a result, Apple and Pear Australia (APAL) says national gross apple production is expected to be down 7.9 per cent from 2022 with a total production of just 290,000 tonnes, with an average national packout similar to last year.
Their March forecast also stated that: "with a smaller crop of good-quality fruit and steady consumer demand, we expect prices for apples and pears to be stronger than in 2022".
It could be a good year to launch a new apple.
Pick me, pick me!
Australia's biggest organic apple grower Andrew Smith is hoping to attract attention in a crowded market with a new variety, Southern Bliss, due on the shelves in July.
"We're really excited today to be doing our first commercial harvest of the Southern Bliss apple. Southern Bliss is our trademark variety," Mr Smith said.
He's planted 75,000 Southern Bliss trees in the Huon Valley in southern Tasmania and has plans for 300,000.
It's a huge financial investment and a big risk although Mr Smith is "staying mum" on the money spent.
"A substantial amount of money. I'd hate to think. I can't tell you right now because my father might hear," he said.
Apple favourites
Australians love a Pink Lady, in fact the latest figures show in the current market Pink Lady is Australia's most popular apple variety at 37 per cent of the volume purchased, followed by Gala at 21 per cent, and Granny Smith at 13 per cent. Another 23 per cent of apple lovers are buying a mix of new ones such as Envy and old favourites such as Golden Delicious.
Southern Bliss
For Mr Smith, this week's harvest of Southern Bliss is the culmination of seven years' work
"It involves buying the commercial licence … building some confidence in the variety, enough confidence to actually write out a cheque and invest in the variety. I did that overseas," he said.
"Then you have to bring it through quarantine; do tissue culture; multiply, multiply the nursery trees; get them to orchard and produce some commercial volumes of fruit, which we started today."
Now they're working with more apple growers to endorse and grow the trees as well.
"We did have a very wet spring, but the trees have bounced back and the colour and the fruit quality is exceptional," Mr Price said.
A sweet new taste in the market, but In the end it'll be the consumer that decides.
