Zespri expanding to meet growing volumes

Zespri has established a global sales and marketing hub in Singapore, and a China advisory board in preparation for a dramatic growth in fruit volumes in the next few years.



Grower confidence
Just five years on from the discovery of the devastating vine disease Psa-V, most growers have returned to profitability and the industry has just harvested its biggest crop ever, which is now being sold worldwide.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc president Neil Trebilco says grower confidence and orchard values have continued to increase during the last 12 months.

“The main factors in this increasing optimism are the reduced effects of Psa and increasing orchard gate returns per tray, particularly for green.

“The increase in green per tray returns this last year has been driven by a combination of a substantial reduction in Hayward Green production in Chile, strong in-market pricing, plus low fruit loss on and off shore.

“Counterbalancing this, however, is the strong NZ dollar compared to the Yen and Euro. This will likely impact returns in coming years. Heightened activity in kiwifruit orchard sales has continued and per hectare prices are continuing to substantially increase.”

Despite wide-spread industry optimism, Neil says there are some growers who continue to struggle with the impacts of Psa.

“Therefore, it’s essential the industry remains connected and that growers know help is at hand if needed. The last 12 months has seen Psa progression slow, however it is important growers remain vigilant. A bad spring or high-risk weather event could cause Psa to progress and put growers under pressure once again.”

Average Grower Orchard Gate Returns 2014/2015

Zespri Green: $6.01 per tray - $53,884 per-hectare
Zespri Gold: $9.80 per tray -  $73,890 per hectare.
Zespri Organic Green: $7.37 per tray- $43,996 per hectare.
Zespri Sweet Green: $7.08 per tray - $29,682 per hectare.


0 Comments

There are no comments on this article.

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to make a comment. Login Now
Opinion Poll

We're not running a poll right now. Check back soon!