Despite significant year-on-year reductions in several key markets, New Zealand’s pipfruit industry enjoyed one of its most successful export campaigns on record in 2015.
Figures released in Pipfruit New Zealand’s 2015 Statistics Annual indicate international shipments hit 334,465 tonnes last year, the largest volume for the sector over the past seven seasons.
The performance came as exports to North America fell 24 per cent from 52,130 tonnes in 2014 to 39,671 tonnes in 2015, while shipments to continental Europe fell 17 per cent from 96,162 tonnes to 80,074 tonnes.
“The US market was 25 per cent less than the previous year due to a combination of a carryover of their domestic fruit, lower exchange rate and a smaller New Zealand fruit size being more suited to the Asian market,” said Catherine Scott, Pipfuit New Zealand’s operations coordinator.
Global industry
The UK continues to be the New Zealand industry’s largest country market by volume, with 48,070 tonnes - or 14.37 per cent of the total export crop - shipped there last season. The US (33,225 tonnes), Netherlands (29,585 tonnes) and Belgium (24,786 tonnes) also took significant volumes.
Thailand was the industry’s largest market in Asia, taking 30,183 tonnes, up from 20,469 tonnes in 2014.
After a challenging season for New Zealand suppliers in mainland China in 2014, which saw just 2,076 tonnes enter the People’s Republic directly, exports rebounded strongly in 2015 with 20,549 tonnes shipped to the Asian nation.
The industry's persistence in developing a foothold in the highly regulated Indian market continues to deliver small rewards, with exports rising from 10,967 tonnes in 2014 to 11,082 tonnes in 2015.
For the first time in the past seven years, sales into Vietnam failed to follow a pattern of linear growth, with exports dropping from 8,440 tonnes in 2014 to 4,248 tonnes.
“While Thailand is the only Asian nation in our top five ‘country of destination’, Asian now receives 40 per cent of our overall export crop,” Scott explained.
Asia’s collective market share is well ahead of Europe (23.94 per cent), the UK and Ireland (14.88 per cent) and the Americas (11.86 per cent).
Widening portfolio
As Scott indicated, the growing interest in servicing Asian markets is influencing the development of New Zealand’s varietal portfolio, as growers move towards sweet flavoured, high coloured offerings.
Royal Gala again trumped the list of exports by variety, accounting for over a third of all New Zealand pipfruit shipments (115,858 tonnes) last year.
Fuji exports rose from 26,115 tonnes in 2014 to 31,981 tonnes in 2015, while braeburn shipments slipped from 66,886 tonnes to 60,196 tones. Over 107,000 tonnes of New Zealand-grown braeburn was exported in 2007.
Awareness and demand for Pacific Queen, a variety exclusive to New Zealand, continues to rise, with export volumes rising incrementally from 5,075 tonnes in 2007 to 15,834 tonnes in 2015.
Pear exports decreased marginally from 5,411 tonnes in 2014 to 4,167 tonnes in 2015.
Hawke’s Bay remains the country’s largest pipfruit production hub, producing 61 per cent of the fruit sold internationally, ahead of Nelson (26 per cent) and Otago (4 per cent).
