New Zealand kiwifruit growers are “breathing a collective sigh of relief' after ex-Cyclone Pam bypassed the nation’s key growing regions, according to New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI) president Neil Trebilco.
High winds and heavy rains emanating from the severe tropical cyclone were expected to descend upon New Zealand’s north island on Monday, however, the conditions weakened as they approached the Pacific nation.
“We have been very fortunate - there have been no reports of any significant damage from Cyclone Pam,” Trebilco told Asiafruit. “All areas appear to have escaped - from the north of New Zealand all the way down to the Gisborne and Hawkes Bay regions.”
Single-desk marketer Zespri - who said it would be unable to market any heavily damaged or bruised fruit from the cyclone - echoed Trebilco’s assessment.
“Zespri’s forecast for the 2015 season has not been impacted and we have had no reports of damage from our growers,” Zespri announced in a written statement.
The news was not so positive for a number of the kiwifruit industry’s seasonal workers from Vanuatu. The small island nation copped the brunt of the cyclone’s wrath, killing at least ten people and causing widespread devastation. Trebilco insisted the New Zealand industry would offer its support to impacted employees.
“We are concerned for our friends and co-workers from the islands of Vanuatu,” Trebilco explained. “The New Zealand kiwifruit industry has help from quite a number of Vanuatuans who work here during our harvest and winter pruning season, as part of our Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme.”
Selected New Zealand growers have moved to safeguard their crops from the impacts of natural disasters. Shelter cloths have been installed over the top of orchard blocks to protect from wind and hail. While it is a costly installation, the benefits are already being felt at production level.
“Hailnetting is becoming increasingly popular among SunGold (Gold3) growers as a way of protecting their fruit against weather damage and around 500ha of Gold3 vines now have hailnetting installed,” a Zespri spokesman explained.
