Relatively early campaign for the Madagascan litchi

The phenological survey by the CTHT (Toamasina Technical Horticultural Centre), conducted in late September, appears to confirm the information set out in the previous survey from late August. The bloom has finished, and the fruit-setting has been deemed normal. Fruit development is proceeding smoothly, and seems similar to previous years. However, the extension of the Southern winter is tending to cause slower fruit bulking than in the previous three years. The slow increase in temperatures and moderate rainfall are the main reasons for this. Fruit development is uniform across the various production zones, which represents an asset in terms of availability of sufficient volumes of even quality to fully load the two scheduled ships. Given the observations made, and if weather conditions prove favourable, the CTHT has mentioned the possibility of the harvest starting in week 46 or 47.