2019 Bravo® apple harvest underway
The start of the 2019 Bravo® apple season was recently launched with the dark burgundy apples now available from retail outlets.
Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan launched the fourth harvest of the variety, which was developed in Western Australia over two decades by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
A total of 26 WA apple orchards from the Perth Hills, Manjimup and Donnybrook are expected to supply about 1000 tonnes of Bravo® apples to the local, interstate and export markets over the next few months. The variety has been widely adopted in the south-eastern states.
Efforts are being made by the licensed marketers of the variety to cultivate export markets, particularly in nearby South East Asia and the Middle East, where premium quality fruit is highly prized when celebrating festive events.
The department continues to work towards the development of new varieties suitable for growing in WA conditions, through the national apple breeding program.
Fruit lovers are encouraged to share their enjoyment of consuming Bravo® apples and help promote the new variety via social media, using the hashtag #ilovebravoapples.