Leading New Zealand kiwifruit company DMS has announced plans to increase its cold storage capacity by 2,800 pallets in time for 2015 season. The Bay of Plenty-based postharvest operator will also increase its packhouse operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, over harvest.
Derek Masters, DMS’ chief operating officer, said the moves have been prompted by an anticipated increase in G3 (Sungold) volumes, with production of the new gold kiwifruit variety set to jump beyond 50m trays over the next three years.
“DMS has always been a firm advocate for G3 in the post-Psa environment, championing the variety as the road to recovery when many were lacking the confidence to try something new,” Masters explained. “We are well advanced in our planning to address the increase in fruit volumes over the next three seasons, which will enable us to continue our exceptional service delivery to growers and address industry concerns around post-harvest capacity.”
