Home cooks help resurgence in dried apricot production

One ​​of Australia's largest dried fruit companies is expanding apricot production to meet growing consumer demand.

Highlights:Angas Park is redeveloping 40 hectares of apricot orchards in the RiverlandThe company is planting new varieties that have higher yieldThere has been a decline in apricot plantations in recent decades

Angas Park Co, owned by Sunbeam, is redeveloping its apricot orchard in South Australia's Riverland with new, higher-yielding varieties and increasing grower consumption.

Several La Nina weather events have affected stone fruit yields this season, with some growers reporting losses of up to 100% of their harvest.

The Manager supply manager David Swain said Angas Park Co was looking to renew its apricot plantations in a reinvigorated market.

"We have a 100-acre property in Pike River and we've planted apricots there for 25 years, but they've come to the end of their useful life," he said.

Mr. Swain said the new varieties of apricots, developed by the South Australian Research and Development Institute, were more efficient and cost-effective.

"They have a lower dryness rate, we so we have a firmer, larger fruit that can take a lot more handling, and a narrower window when it comes to maturity,” he said.

Mr Swain says there is demand for the majority of the dried fruit range (ABC Rural: Eliza Berlage)

Mr. Swain said the company hopes to attract supply from growers by raising the price paid for the apricots.

"To give a good solid indication to our farmer base, our apricot price has increased by 10% this year," he said.

"The highest [price paid for] apricots was around $11,000 per ton.

"So far, prices have held steady, but with this resurgence in the market we are seeing real demand for and we are putting our money where our mouth is."

With the wine industry facing In a difficult vintage amid Chinese tariffs on red wine, Swain said apricots represent a viable crop for farmers looking to diversify.

"When we speak of wine grapes and other commodities, apricots compare very well to them," he said.

Angas Park is redeveloping 40 hectares of apricot tree in Riverland. (Supplied: Angas Park)

Trend reversal

Summerfruit Australia Managing Director Trevor Ranford said the expansion was good news.

"It's an industry in the...