Where are the onions? This is the question that many onion traders around the world have been asking. As a result of the dry, hot summer in Europe, the harvest in the north of the continent is much smaller. In the US, the rain in the late summer had a similar effect on the harvest figures.
In the Aussenkehr Valley of southern Namibia, where early summer temperatures have already reached 40°C and the annual rainfall is about 35mm, vineyards are flourishing on the banks of the Orange River.
In recent months, there has been a big crisis in the citrus production sector, especially in the case of oranges and mandarins, with prices falling below the production costs and plantations left unharvested.
The initial estimate for the 2018/2019 avocado season is between 15.5 and 16 million equivalent 4kg cartons, says Derek Donkin, CEO of umbrella body Subtrop. That is a reduction of around 6 million cartons on last year’s record crop, due partly to unfavourable weather conditions.
Wine harvest is a tricky time, but also a beautiful one. For a winemaker knowing when to harvest is a matter of taste, skill and awareness. A winemaker who notices more bird activity in the vineyard, for example, has just received an alert from Mother Nature that the grapes are ripe — the birds, raccoons and bears are always first in line for sweet fruit.
Southern Hemisphere production of apples and pears are both forecast to rise by 2% year-on-year in 2019, but individual countries are expecting some significant increases and decreases.
