Grower Leo Skliros has started picking some early mangoes at his farm in Darwin’s rural area. (ABC News: Matt Roberts)
In short:
The first crop forecast for the mango season has been released, with the Darwin region expected to produce 2.4 million trays.
24,000 trays were sent to markets from Darwin last week.
What next:
Farmers say mango lovers can expect volumes to increase in October.
Mango season in the Northern Territory is starting to heat up, with 24,000 trays sent to markets last week.
The Darwin region is forecast to produce 2.4 million trays of mangoes this year — slightly up on 2023.
NT Mango Industry Association president and Darwin grower Leo Skliros is already picking small volumes of fruit and is optimistic about the season ahead.
He said the weather this year had led to multiple flowering events, which had created a “patchy” harvest so far.
“A lot of growers are starting and stopping at the moment,” he said.
“But prices are good [for growers], with premium mangoes fetching $60 a tray, and the next lot of fruit looks great.”
Darwin’s mango season will peak in the middle of October, which is when shoppers will notice a healthy supply of mangoes available in supermarkets.
Darwin is forecast to produce 2.4 million trays this season. (ABC Rural: Max Rowley)
‘Back in business’
Crop forecasts for the Katherine area, as well as Kununurra in Western Australia and growing regions in Queensland, will be released in the coming weeks.
Marie Piccone from Manbulloo Mangoes said orchards in the Katherine region had enjoyed a strong flowering, and the harvest should get going towards the end of September.
“Our view at the moment is there’s going to be ample supply of Kensington Pride mangoes and good supply of R2E2s for Australian mango lovers,” she said.
“Last year Kensington Prides were a little scarcer, but this year the season has been kind to us and we’re back in business.”
The Australian mango industry in general will be looking for a comeback after a very challenging 2023/24 season.
At its best, the national mango harvest has surpassed 10 million trays, with the NT producing more than half the country’s mangoes.
