The former chairman of New Zealand apple and pear industry association Pipfruit NZ has called on growers and exporters to adopt a more joined-up approach in order to build sales to emerging markets around the world.
Speaking to the Nelson Mail, Ian Palmer said the Pacific country's topfruit sector had to get its own house in order if it was to stand a chance of competing with other major suppliers.
'If every man and his dog tries to sell fruit there we are just going to destroy the market, and the Indians and the Chinese will love it because they will just pick us off,' he told the newspaper.
Palmer was also highly critical of what he said was the government's failure to ensure a smooth transition following deregulation of the New Zealand apple business back in 2001.
'By doing so they created another meat industry,' he said. 'After 50 years of regulation, we were never mature enough to handle a deregulated environment.'
Achieving consensus amnong all of the country's apple and pear exporters had been a very difficult task as a result, Palmer added.
Nadine Tunley of export company Energie Fruits was recently named as the new chair of Pipfruit New Zealand, replacing Palmer who has also retired from the board.
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