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01/07/2008 |
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Season Update |
2008 has been a very challenging season both in terms of growing and marketing of the crop.
The storms back in early March caused a lot of damage to the crop, with the strong winds ripping plastic from the crop and flattening the exposed foliage. Next came three consecutive nights of frost, with temperatures down as low as -7c, causing widespread damage to the emergent plants and delaying the crop by as much as 2 weeks.
We finally got going with our promotional activity (a time when our daily exports reach 1,000 tonnes) on 18th May, a full week later than in 2007. The full effects of the frost became evident with lower than anticipated yields, although quality was excellent.
Just when we thought we could start to get on with the season the rains came! Unprecedented rainfall in May brought harvesting to a standstill, with tractors and harvesters stranded in fields, having sunk to their axles in the mud. The 10 year average rainfall for the whole of March is 52mm, we actually had 93mm in 6 days from 23rd – 29th May!
Once the ground had dried out we were able to continue harvesting and, touch wood, conditions have been pretty much ideal for growing and harvesting for the past 3 weeks. Our late-planted crop is now maturing, ensuring that we can continue to export fresh, loose skinned product until the end of July.
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