While a lot of the Australian mainland is sweltering under high temperatures and being hit by storms, things have remained calm in Tasmania which is know for its mild climate. The vegetable season is in full swing and things are looking positive.

“We are just winding up with carrots,” explains Jim Ertler from Premium Fresh Tasmania, situated in the north of the island. “Asparagus has finished and broccoli which started in November is now in full swing. Our onion harvest is a few weeks away.”

Premium Fresh has been increasing exports over the last few years and will most certainly be exporting onions to Europe this season given the shortages in that market.

Normally the onion prices on the Australian domestic market are higher than those in the export markets but this is not the case this season according to Jim. “The European market is looking very positive and the export price is stronger than the domestic price, but I expect domestic prices to pick up as a consequence. We only have a certain amount available for export as we have our retail orders to fill, but if we’d had more, we could’ve sold them. The harvest has not started yet so we are not certain of the volumes, but the crop is performing very well, and we have a good estimate, but you never know what can happen.”

Tasmanian onions are sown from May through to July, which unfortunately was before the onion shortage in European became apparent. Jim said they expect volumes similar, possibly higher than last season with good quality and size.

“We are quite lucky in Tasmania as the climate is stable, while the mainland has had its ups and downs during the hot summer and quality will inevitably suffer. The weather will determine how the market performs, but in general the overall market is reasonable. Globally the weather is becoming more extreme, it has always been one of the unpredictable things in farming, but it is becoming more volatile.”

For more information:
Jim Ertler
Premium Fresh Tasmania
Tel: +61 3649 888 88
Email: jim.ertler@premiumfresh.com.au
www.premiumfresh.com.au