Aussie oranges – what’s on offer in 2015?

Chinese importers and retailers are taking a fresh look at Australian oranges this summer. With a great crop on the trees, excitement is building around bigger volumes of healthy, superb tasting Aussie oranges making their way soon to the market. So what’s on offer?

‘The excellent growing conditions in Australia this season have meant we will start the season a little earlier, with first arrivals expected in late June’, said Andrew Harty, Market Development Manager for Citrus Australia. ‘And due to our spread of navel varieties, we can supply right through to November. That is five months of the summer and fall that Chinese stores can offer superior Aussie navels to their customers.’

Australian growers and nurserymen have been at the forefront of new navel variety development. Late navel varieties were selected since the 1990s, and have added another 3 months to the length of the season. Washington navels are the mainstay of the category and make up the bulk of arrivals in mid-summer. More recently, an excellent early navel called M7 has been selected, and the first consignments of this sweet, early variety have just arrived in Shanghai.

‘Australian navels are renowned throughout the world for their health properties, excellent colour,  sweet flavour and cleanliness.  As each set of varieties matures through the season, we can supply oranges with a consistently high eating quality.’

‘Cara Cara has also been planted by our growers, and produce an excellent piece of fruit under Australian conditions’, explained Harty. ‘This beautiful red-fleshed navel is very popular in China, not just for its stunning colour, but also for its smooth, mellow taste. Demand always exceeds supply with Caras, so buyers need to get in early with orders.’