Production Patterns for Fruit and Nut Species in Papua New Guinea and some Implications for Marketing

The supply of a particular fruit or nut varies over time for a number of reasons, one of which is seasonal or non-seasonal changes in the supply from the plants. This is termed the production pattern. This paper builds on a major study of the production patterns of 180 economic crops in PNG and a subsidiary study that compared the period of plentiful supply of 57 fruit and 5 nut-bearing species in PNG with the patterns in Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand. A brief overview of the production patterns for a number of fruit and nut-bearing species is given. There are three major physical environmental factors that initiate the onset of flowering. These are changes in day length, temperature and moisture. The different influences that these environmental factors have on the flowering of some species is described. The prospects for exploiting differences in the production patterns for marketing within PNG and to overseas markets is examined. There are some theoretical prospects for exploiting seasonal differences between PNG and both Australian and nearby Northern Hemisphere countries for a number of crops, particularly for durian, langsat, mangosteen, pulasan and rambutan. In practice, the possibilities of exploiting seasonal differences in the producing period between Australia or nearby Northern Hemisphere countries are remote because of significant constraints. There are better prospects for exploiting differences for certain fruit and nut species within PNG.