Kiwifruit New Zealand (KNZ) has turned down applications by Splice Fruit and Seeka Kiwifruit Industries to collaborate with Zespri in marketing kiwifruit abroad, reports www.stuff.co.nz.
Last week the New Zealand High Court ordered KNZ to review applications by the two marketers who wanted to collaborate with Zespri in exporting kiwifruit but had been turned down, the site said.
Splice wanted to export 180,000 trays of green organic kiwifruit to Austria, and Seeka 520,000 trays of green kiwifruit to China.
At present, Zespri is the only company permitted to export kiwifruit anywhere other than Australia. However, regulations allow it to enter into collaborative marketing with other agencies.
KNZ said in reviewing the applications, it had decided they “did not achieve the purpose of iocreaseing the overall wealth of New Zealand kiwifruit suppliers”.
Seeka chief executive Michael Franks described the decision as a “black day for the New Zealand kiwifruit industry”.
The fruit will now be supplied to Zespri.
