New Zealand’s greengage plums have been shipped to China for the first time this year, with leading e-tailer Yiguo promoting the green plums from exporter RD8 Fresh Produce.
The ‘Green Pearl’ greengage plums are being marketed as a high-end product, with a Yiguo representative telling Fruitnet that the plums are expected to sell out within a week.
The plums are grown and packed at 45 South's orchard in Cromwell, who have partnered with RD8 to develop exports of greengage plums to new markets.
RD8 export produce manager Robert Quinn said only one trial airshipment of 1,250kg of greengage plums was sent to Yiguo this year.
'Traditionally, these plums go to speciality wholesalers in California, which is where the bulk of the crop from this year also went. The total crop is relatively small but we were interested in looking at alternative markets this year and Yiguo were willing to try a consignment to establish whether they suited their customers palate,' Quinn explained.
The New Zealand greengage season runs for just a few weeks, with limited volume available, but the sweeter New Zealand fruit is proving popular in China where local fruit is slightly more tart and hard, the representative said.
