Exports of fresh produce from New Zealand will be increasingly destined for markets in Asia, according to Turners and Growers managing director Jeff Wesley.
Speaking to the New Zealand Herald, Mr Wesley said there would be a shift in exports away from markets in Europe and the US to those in Asia.
He pointed to the rise of the middle class in the region, and its increased purchasing power, as a major draw card.
"From a produce point of view it's a fantastic developing market," he said.
"This year the middle class in China will increase by 40m people and the good thing about Asia for us is that it's right on our doorstep, so we're closer than the other Southern Hemisphere competitors we have such as Chile and South Africa.”
To ship produce to Europe takes around six to seven weeks, whereas it takes around seven to 15 days to ship to Asian markets, reported the newspaper. "So the shipping cost is considerably less and the fruit arrives in much better condition and is purchased more frequently," added Mr Wesley.
A high New Zealand dollar in relation to the British pound, the euro and the greenback also means New Zealand can garner better returns from Asia, said Mr Wesley.
He added that New Zealand’s currency was down in relation to the Australian dollar, which he forecast would lead to an increase in exports across the Tasman in the next two to three years.
He also told the newspaper Turners and Growers was increasingly generating its turnover, worth NZ$835m (US$643m) in 2009, through its offshore ventures.
The company now grows apples in 16 countries.
"We'll soon be growing kiwifruit in the same number of countries and exporting it," said Mr Wesley.
"We're the biggest exporter of asparagus out of Peru into Japan," he added.
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