BETTER crop forecasting has helped the Australian mango industry stamp a deeper retail presence.
Improved data collection and heightened willingness from growers to share information has ushered in a new system aimed at improving yield estimates and therefore product availability for supermarkets.
Speaking at the 11th Australian Mango Conference at Bowen last week, Australian Mango Industry Association (AMIA) chief executive officer, Robert Gray, said the industry had a history of poor data collection and season prediction.
This in turn led to a lack of confidence in the retail sector with major outlets reluctant to crank up their marketing in case they couldn't deliver to demand.
That started to change in 2014 with the introduction of the new crop forecasting system which used a combination of flowering dates, heat sums and information provided by growers in key production regions.
The forecasts were published on the first Monday in August and the first Monday in September and provided a view of the crop timing.
After fruit set, the AMIA communicated the forecast on a weekly basis providing the industry with visibility of both crop timing and crop volume (i.e. weekly dispatch volumes).
Growers were encouraged to communicate information via e-mail, SMS or over the phone to provide the industry with the most accurate forecast.
"We've now got quite clear processes and procedures which allow us to capture data; we are well resourced," Mr Gray said.
"We now have 63 per cent of the grower base now responding automatically through the texting system.
"So not only are we getting good data, we are getting it more efficiently and more cost effectively."
He admitted the system wasn't perfect but said it had resulted in huge gains for the industry.
Coles product technologist, Brendan Hayes, said timing was everything when it came to the supply of seasonal fruit.
"For a larger retailer to react to numbers we need two weeks," Mr Hayes said.
"We don't want to be pushing and pulling in the ripening space because that'll affect quality."
It was a similar timeframe for Aldi, according to that store's conference representative, Rob Lonsdale.
He said fresh produce forecasting information was critical.
"We rely on the information that comes through. We are listening carefully to the buyers and growers," he said.
For Woolworths, the planning for summer fruits is done six months out.
Woolworths category manager, Cara Reynolds, said even though the store couldn't forecast that far ahead, it needed to have some idea of what the season was looking like.
"We need to make sure we plan for what's coming in store," she said.
"We need to understand how the season is going so we can communicate that to the store staff."
Ms Reynolds said the mango forecasting gave more information to plan around and allocate marketing funds.
She also thanked the mango industry for an "amazing season" during the most recent summer.
Although growers were able to roughly gauge their orchard yields, the weather remained the unknown factor.
Harris Farm Markets founder, David Harris, said his business saw Kensington Pride mangoes still in store in the second week of April, highlighting the varying season lengths.
AMIA marketing manager, Treena Welch, said yearly variability of the mango season made it a challenge to make firm commitments on crop expectations but the new information system had certainly improved that.
"It's about reminding ourselves that we will always have a mango season but no two seasons will ever be the same," she said.
Harris Farm Markets mango buyer, Carlo Ceravolo, said although forecasting was great, it didn't negate the need for being able to adapt to a changing situation.
"Having those contingencies and 'plan Bs' are equally as important," he said.
"So when rain and so forth happens, we have a back-up plan."