EXCEPTIONAL
GROWING
CONDITIONS
The New Zealand apple and pear industry is
forecasting a modest gross crop for 2018,
according to the annual crop estimate. The
forecast of 576,172 metric tonnes is down on
forecast for 2017, and similar to that achieved
in 2015, but New Zealand Apples & Pears chief
executive Alan Pollard says growing conditions
this season have been exceptional. “We have
had enough rain to ensure all regions have
good quantities of irrigation water, and sunlight
and warmth are at the best levels since 1998,”
he says. “These factors are setting up another
high-quality apple and pear crop that New
Zealand is renowned for.” Notable in this year’s
forecast is the continued trend away from
some of the more traditional varieties. Pollard
says Braeburn will be down around 4% on last
year’s volumes, and Cox Orange as much as
16%. “The basket of products offered by the
New Zealand industry has significantly changed
since 2005, when Royal Gala and Braeburn
accounted for about 77% of New Zealand’s exported
varieties. Today, no one variety accounts
for more than 30%, with a much more diverse
range of varieties now on offer.” Overall fruit
size is marginally larger than 2017, with the
season running early in all regions by up to two
weeks. The area planted in apples and pears
continues to increase at about 3% per annum
and is now at 9810 hectares.
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WATER STORAGE CRITICAL
customer selection, AVOCO’s marketing and communications
manager Steve Trickett says, as it will
compete for shelf space with fruit from Mexico,
Peru and Chile – the only other countries currently
benefiting from market access. Trickett says the
unique climate and extended growing season
New Zealand avocados are produced in will help
to differentiate AVANZA fruit in the produce aisle.
This will be supported by point-of-sale consumer
education material covering nutritional attributes,
handling and recipe ideas. “Research has proven
that avocados grown in New Zealand have 20%
more folate and twice as much vitamin B6 than
avocados grown elsewhere,” he says. “Being the
closest and therefore freshest Southern Hemisphere
source of avocados to China, the subtle
differences in the taste and texture profile of
our fruit, as well as presenting consumers with
a larger piece of fruit backed by promotional
investment, will help underpin our brand story, all
aimed to secure a premium place in the market.”
Market access to China follows a successful technical
audit of the regulatory system for exporting,
with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and
China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) signing
the protocol to agree export requirements in November.
NZ Avocado chair Tony Ponder says his
organisation has attended the China International
Fruit and Vegetable Fair in Beijing for the past four
years, and gaining access has been a key focus.
NZ Avocado will airfreight a trial shipment to
Shanghai this season, starting in August, Avocado
Export Council chair Alistair Petrie says. “We have
been anticipating access to China for some time
and it is exciting to now have the opportunity. We
have established relationships in China and will
work with them to develop niche markets for our
avocados.”
Food production will be affected if the importance
of storage in helping provide a reliable
supply of water for urban communities is not
recognised, IrrigationNZ warns. Chief executive
Andrew Curtis says January this year has
been labelled the hottest month ever recorded
in New Zealand, and last year a shortage or
surplus of water created major problems with
flooding and droughts. “Many areas went
for several weeks with minimal rainfall this
summer,” he says. “Where water storage was
available it played an important role in ensuring
locally grown produce was still available in
supermarkets. But there’s still a lot of work to
be undertaken to improve the resilience of our
communities by improving our water storage.”
By ratifying the Paris Agreement in 2016, New
Zealand confirmed it will plan for and take action
to adapt to the impacts of climate change.
Curtis says developing more water storage to
supply towns, rural communities and for food
and energy production is important to protect
the future wellbeing of Kiwis. “By 2050 our
population is expected to reach six million.
We’ll need to feed more people from the same
land area, and supply water and power to new
homes and businesses. Water is critical to our
nation’s wellbeing. We must continue planning
today to ensure we can meet New Zealand’s
needs in the future.” According to NIWA, New
Zealand currently receives an average of 550
billion cubic metres of rain each year, of which
80% flows out to sea, supporting river ecosystems
along the way. Around 2% is used for
irrigation, urban and industrial use, with the
remaining rainfall evaporating. New Zealand’s
most severe drought in living memory over the
2012/13 summer cost the country more than
$1.5 billion.
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