Amenable weather, a good labour supply and high-quality fruit are all helping the kiwifruit sector enjoy one of the best harvest runs for several years.
Colin Bond, CEO of NZ Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) said the Bay of Plenty has enjoyed a run of dry weather ensuring fruit flow from orchard to pack house has been continuous and smooth.
This comes after four years of assorted disruptions for the sector.
Two years ago record crop volumes coincided with a record labour shortage, resulting in poor picking practices and significant crop damage manifesting in shipments months later.
The two years before that had been disrupted by covid restrictions on staffing and allocations that had added a layer of operating headaches to a harvest that coincided with lockdown in 2020.
“We were due a good season. Labour supply has been good thanks to more backpackers around, an increase in the Recognised Seasonal Employer staff numbers, along with post-harvest operators installing more automation in their packhouses.”
There is, however, a level of concern among growers about Zespri’s latest crop estimate, which has been revised down from 195 million trays to 180 million trays, including a record SunGold harvest estimate of 125 million trays.
This downwards revision is far less significant than last year’s, which had volumes drop from their original 190 million down to 135 million, partly as a result of significant weather events.
“We know the industry and Zespri is working to try and get crop estimates more accurate,” Bond said.
“It is important because it means Zespri can then offer a better starting price. Had we known it was going to be 180 million trays this year then that may have helped push up the opening price for growers, given the jump in volume from last year’s volume was not as high.”
Return wise, growers are hoping for a better year with estimates Green operators can expect $60,000-$64,000 a hectare, up from the 2022-23 March return of $57,000.
SunGold growers are looking to $138,000-$143,000 a hectare, against last year’s average of $137,000.
