Jan 29, 2018  - Membership of ‘Tropical Fruit Growers of New Zealand’ is soaring since a Northern Advocate report last year wrote about the potential for profit in growing bananas, pineapples and other tropical plants in Northland and other warmer parts of New Zealand.

Jan 25, 2018  -   While bananas are the fourth most important food crop in the world - after rice, corn and wheat - they are not often associated with New Zealand. This nation imports more than $220 million worth of bananas from the Philippines and Ecuador, says Trevor Mills. He reckons if the industry took off in New Zealand, the "import substitution makes good economic sense."

Jan 24, 2018  -  The Indian market for avocados currently consists of some Indian produce and a major share of New Zealand Hass avocados. Thanks to promotions and in-store sampling, Indian consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the health benefits of Hass avocados. Therefore, demand for New Zealand avocados is increasing.

The Indian importer IG International specialises in the marketing of New Zealand Hass avocados. The company is also going to introduce new varieties with different packaging formats from Peru. Peruvian avocados are necessary to continue the momentum of the New Zealand season, which will soon be coming to an end.

Like the avocados from New Zealand, the Peruvian avocados belong to the Hass variety. The Peruvian Hass avocados differ from those from New Zealand with regards to different ripening stages and a cheaper price. The Peruvian season allows IG International to ensure a year round supply of avocados. As soon as the Peruvian season ends, the New Zealand season will commence.

"The main customers of IG International are supermarkets, restaurants and hotels. The category for avocados is increasing year by year. IG currently holds a market share of 42% in the market for avocados," says Shubha Wadhawan, CCO,IG International Pvt. Ltd.

"Most avocados are consumed in the western regions of India, followed by the North and South, though avocado consumption is on the rise in the South as well. Due to the price of avocados, most consumers belong to the upper middle class," she added.

"Not withstanding the strong demand for the Avanza New Zealand Avocado throughout Asia, we remain committed to our distribution partnership within India and the growth of the category. These are exciting times for the avocado within India. It is our desire is to build a strong brand positioned on quality and the versatility of this product to an increasingly health conscious consumer,” says Tony Ponder of Avanza, the New Zealand company that supplies the avocados to IG International.

Godrej Nature’s Basket has been India’s pioneering food destination from more than over 100 years. "We believe in creating lasting experiences and go an extra mile to serve our customers better. To make their journey an enjoyable one, we make sure to give them the best quality avocados, sourced from IG International. Avocado is the best selling category at our stores. We look forward to the Peruvian season to ensure the round year supply," says Avinash Tripathi, Buying and Merchandising Head, Godrej Nature’s Basket.

Visit IG International at Fruit Logistica: Hall 7.2a A-05

| A FreshPlaza release   ||  January 23, 2018   |||

Jan 20, 2018  -  “This represents a real revolution in the blueberry industry to us. In a couple of years, those without this technology will be left on the sidelines.”  That was the comment from Cristobal Duke, Managing Director of Collipulli (Chile), on UNITEC Blueberry Vision technology back at the end of 2016.

Jan 16, 2018  - One of Australasia's biggest blueberry partnerships says it is excited by the potential of new varieties that are set to hit the market in the near future.  BerryCo NZ has secured the New Zealand rights to the genetics from Mountain Blue Orchards (MBO) in Australia, which General Manager Vaughan Judkins says is a world leading Southern Highbush breeding programme, and several new developments are on the horizon for the industry. The MBO supplied Eureka brand, with its jumbo size, which is currently a big a hit with both the health conscious across Australia and the international markets in Asia.

Jan 10, 2018  -  Long before the start of the harvest the New Zealand avocado crop was estimated to be down by approximately 50% due to the bi-annual nature of the trees. The latest estimate has the New Zealand export crop at approximately 2.2m trays down from over 5m in the previous year.

Dec 18, 2017  -  T&G Global chief executive Alastair Hulbert has resigned after four years in charge of the fruit marketer. The Auckland-based company has called in long-term BayWa collaborator Thomas Bargetzi to act as interim CEO while it looks for a new boss, T&G said in a statement.

Chair Klaus Lutz acknowledged Hulbert's "significant contribution" to the wider group during his tenure. Hulbert was promoted to chief executive in 2013, having run the company on a temporary basis with then-chief financial officer Harald Hamster-Egerer after former head Geoff Hipkins departed suddenly amid media reports of a breakdown in his working relationship with senior management.

The NZ Herald reported how Hulbert had been T&G's head of international markets before his promotion after nine years running export subsidiary Delica Global. His departure comes a day after former deputy chair John Anderson's formal retirement from T&G's board.

| Source:  FreshPlaza  ||  December 15, 2017   |||

Dec 13, 2017  - The apple industry is still not sure of the cost of a fungicide contamination which has threatened to destroy 35 hectares of apples in Hawke's Bay and lop several million dollars off the value of the export harvest.

The issue first came to light when Nelson-based Adama New Zealand was alerted by a Hawke's Bay orchardist on October 5 to a potential issue with blemishes discovered on the leaves and young buds of some Royal Gala tree varieties.

The company, part of a world-leading crop protection group, began an investigation which led less than a fortnight later to the pre-emptive recall of cover spray Mancozeb.It was later found a batch imported from India contained fungicide Azoxystrobin — commonly used in the growing industry, but not for apples, and a complete no-no for the signature New Zealand variety of Royal Gala.

The fungicide caused russet on apple skins, knocked apples off trees prematurely and damaged leaves, and it was reported soon afterwards that 185 hectares had been affected, mainly in the Nelson region, where 20 growers were compromised, but also 35ha in Hawke's Bay, where nine growers were affected, understood to be primarily in the Havelock North area.

Adama NZ chief executive David MacGibbon said on November 3 when announcing the permanent recall of Mancozeb from sale, that while the product was not one produced by his company, he was "devastated" by the impact on growers who he said were "like family to us, many of us have known each other for decades".

"Mancozeb has been a widely used product in spring for apple growers since we started selling it 10 years ago," he said. "There have never been any issues before."

"However, we will not be selling it again as we have now lost our faith in its manufacturer. This is the only product they produce for us."

It doesn't affect last season's apples, which had been applied with previous uncontaminated batches of Adama Mancozeb, and the company is continuing to run tests heading towards harvest in the current season on all crops where the product has been used, and will further support growers, Mr MacGibbon said.

Hastings-based industry leader Alan Pollard, CEO of New Zealand Apples and Pears, which until April was known as Pipfruit New Zealand, said yesterday a tracking system managed to establish quickly which growers had received the rogue batch, but while it is now more than two months since the alarms were first sounded it would be still a while before the cost could be established.

Insurance risk assessors have been working with growers and the company, and costs are assessed on the "physical loss" (complete destruction) and "economic loss" which includes diminished value of fruit able to be salvaged but not able to be exported.

With almost 10,000ha of apple orchard nationwide, the area affected represents about 1.85 per cent, which Mr Pollard said may be the equivalent of stock lost most years because of hail damage, and some of the loss is being minimised by thinning.

But based on the value of last year's exports — about $800 million — export market losses in Hawke's Bay could be about $3 million.

The product at the centre of the problem was just one of several of its type and orchardists have had other options.

| A Hawkes Bay Today release ||  December 12, 2017   |||

Dec 12, 2017 - : Steve Trickett has joined AVOCO’s senior management team to expand on market development in Asia and oversee grower communications at home. A familiar face to many avocado growers, Steve has joined the company as Marketing and Communications Manager and is responsible for market planning and performance with focus on new and developing markets where fruit carries the AVANZA brand. He will support the existing sales and marketing team, oversee contestable fund applications and develop AVOCO’s communications and profile among the grower community. Steve’s 35-year experience in the export sector includes stints at Fruitfed Export, NZ Kiwifruit Marketing Board (now Zespri), Chiquita Brands New Zealand Ltd, ENZA Fresh, Freshmax Ltd and Turners & Growers Exports.Until earlier this year, Steve worked for another Bay of Plenty avocado exporter. He says the move to AVOCO enables him to continue in an industry he’s passionate about. “I’ve worked with, known and respected the key people in AVOCO for well over 20 years and I’m a strong supporter of the AVANZA model used beyond Australia. So, I am excited by the fact that AVOCO management were keen for me to join them and further bolster what is a formidable marketing team,” says Steve. “I also welcome the opportunity to be part of a much larger business such as AVOCO that has compelling brand relevance via ‘AVANZA’, the Asian market brand, with recognised market leadership and the best pick of customers across the region.” Steve is a firm believer that New Zealand’s avocado industry has a bright future. Avocados tick all the right boxes from a consumer perspective and this has fuelled global demand. “Avocados are nutritious, versatile and tasty. Taste and texture is very important to the Asian consumer especially. They are very aware of the subtleties of every part of the fruit. “From a commercial perspective, avocados can be shipped by sea from New Zealand to avoid costly air freight. Overall, they’re a fabulous, healthy fruit that has won over consumers worldwide and that demand shows no signs of abating.” Outside of Australia, Asia is New Zealand’s next biggest market and it’s a region where relationship-building with key customers and distributors is paramount. Steve has worked in the region extensively and says the “New Zealand story” has real currency for export groups like AVOCO. “In Asia, our fruit is regarded as a great product, it’s come from a great origin and is mostly supplied at a time when competitor supply countries such as Mexico struggle with quality. People also have a favourable perception of our clean, green image. “Every time you go to a NZ trade office in Tokyo, Seoul or elsewhere in Asia, they say don’t stop promoting the ‘New Zealandness’ of your product. It’s very important and resonates well with consumers.” With the New Zealand avocado industry inching closer to market access to China, Steve is taking an active role in helping AVOCO lead the way by visiting China to learn more about sales and distribution systems. A small industry coordinated non-commercial trial shipment to China is scheduled for next month following completion of on-shore audits by the Chinese authorities. Full commercial shipments are unlikely until the new season starts in September 2018. While there are huge trade opportunities in China, Steve says it’s critical to first understand the market’s supply chain differences, and to then select which sales channels to pursue in the immediate to medium term.

| An AVOCO release  ||  December 12, 2017   |||

Dec 12, 2017  - The New Zealand citrus industry’s ongoing commitment to working with Delytics Ltd to increase fruit quality has resulted in the majority of their navel oranges being liked by consumers in 2017, despite a challenging growing season. 

Supermarket monitoring showed approximately 85% (6 out of 7) of all New Zealand navel oranges met the New Zealand Citrus Growers’ Inc (NZCGI) minimum maturity standard in 2017, compared to 67% in 2015 before new processes were implemented. This year’s average weekly acceptability ranged from 78% to 95%, and stayed above 90% for three out of nine sampling weeks.

New Zealand’s navel orange growers actively contributed to this positive result by taking part in the voluntary clearance programme that was adopted by NZCGI at the start of 2016. Delytics Ltd developed the clearance process and has carried out NZCGI’s orchard monitoring programme for the past two seasons.

This season, Navel orange orchards in Northland and Gisborne were monitored from early February until late September to measure changes in fruit quality and predict when fruit would meet NZCGI’s minimum maturity standard.

Up until May 2017, BrimA measurement data and maturity models produced by Delytics suggested an earlier start to the season than in 2016. However, the BrimA data showed a significant maturity slowdown in May and alerted the industry to a later harvest date, which ended up being almost 4.5 weeks later than 2016. This sudden maturity slowdown is thought to have been caused by unseasonal weather, which saw drought conditions in the summer followed by more than twice the average rainfall from February through to May.

Delytics Managing Director Mark Loeffen says, “The monitoring was critical to understanding how internal fruit maturity changed during a season of challenging weather conditions. One of the keys to the ongoing success of this monitoring programme and predicting maturity dates is the industry regularly watching this information to inform harvest decisions in combination with their own on-orchard maturity testing.”

“The results show that growers of New Zealand navels have now become suppliers of consistently great tasting fruit and that’s great news for the New Zealand citrus industry.”

| A FreshPlaza release  ||  December 12, 2017   |||