Company expects minimal impact as NZ kiwifruit exports come to a close, but will assess need for alternatives
New Zealand kiwifruit exporter Zespri says it expects a possible strike by port workers in the US to have only a marginal impact on its shipments to North America.
“We are closely monitoring the potential strike action on the East Coast of the US,” a spokesperson for the group confirmed.
Shipments of fruit due to arrive in ports along the US eastern and Gulf coasts face an uncertain few days as tens of thousands of port workers threaten to stop working from 1 October over a long-running contract dispute.
Consignments of imported produce – including sizeable volumes of bananas, pineapples, citrus, and grapes – could end up stranded in those ports, or have to be rerouted to alternative destinations, if the strike goes ahead.
However, the prospect of major disruption for Zespri is a remote one.
“We are coming to the end of our shipping programme for our New Zealand season and only have a small number of remaining shipments destined for North America,” the spokesperson said.
“Discussions are underway with our shipping partners about alternative discharge options should the strike action eventuate.”
