Pipfruit New Zealand CEO Alan Pollard believes exceptional fruit sizing and quality would counter a slight drop in the country’s apple production volume this season.
The peak industry body released its annual crop forecast yesterday, with 505,000 tonnes expected to be harvested in 2014, down marginally on the 550,000 tonnes harvested last year. Consequently, export volumes are predicted to fall from 325,000 tonnes in 2013 to 308,000 this season.However, a warm Spring followed by a run of hot summer days is expected to result in large, firm fruit.
“In growing regions such as Hawkes Bay we have had to go back to 1998 to find a growing season as good as this one,” Pollard explained.“This year’s fruit size will be bigger than the past few seasons and this will be a point of difference for the New Zealand crop.”
Pollard insisted the pipfruit industry is on track to become a NZ$1bn industry within the next 10 years, a goal Pipfuit New Zealand set last year. To meet this ambitious target, Pollard said the industry would continue developing partnerships with government agencies and research providers, to ensure it has the “safest and most sophisticated production systems” along with “excellent access to key markets.”
He highlighted the industry’s partnership with the Ministries of Social Development, which has yielded the Recognised Seasonal Labour Scheme (RSE), as an example of such cooperation.
“The RSE scheme provides a necessary supply of capable people at critical times to pick, pack and maintain the crop,” Pollard said.“The scheme has transformed the quality of our fruit. There is no compromise and every activity is carried out in full and at the right time.”
