The New Zealand pipfruit industry’s focus on Asia continues to intensify, with 40 per cent of exports in the 12 months until 1 November 2015 (2014/15 season) destined for the Far East, according to a report from the USDA’s Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN).
The performance is a marked increased on the 2012/13 season, when shipments to Asia accounted for 31 per cent of the export crop.
In contrast, exports to the once dominant European and UK markets are following a pattern of decline, with the regions taking a combined 38 per cent of New Zealand’s total pipfuit exports in 2014/15, down from 41 per cent in 2012/13.
The push into Asia is generating increased returns for the sector, with the GAIN report valuing export receipts at NZ$620m (US$406m) for 2014/15, the industry’s highest on record.
The trend has also had a clear influence on the varietal profile of New Zealand’s apple crop. Braeburn, a variety popular mainly in the UK, now accounts for just 16 per cent of the total area under production in the Oceanic nation, down from 28 per cent in 2006/07.
The GAIN report concluded that more traditional varieties such as Braeburn are being replaced with new high-taste, high-colour cultivars such as Smitten, Sweetango and Ambrosia. The area planted under the Pacific Queen variety is also rapidly increasing, ramping-up from 456ha in 2012/13 to 730ha in 2014/15.
In terms of overall apple production, the benefits of a biannual bearing “on” year helped cover fruit losses that resulted from a number of weather events prior to harvest. “Total production is being held at an estimated 540,500 tonnes, no change to the previous forecast,” the GAIN report said.
Meanwhile, New Zealand pear production for 2014/2015 is tipped to be down 6 per cent on the previous industry forecast, with the reduction attributed to hail and storm damage. Total pear production for the season is now expected to hit 13,500 tonnes, although the GAIN report forecasts this to rise to 14,200 tonnes in 2015/16, as the planted area grows 4 per cent to 425ha.
Total pipfruit exports for 2014/15 are now expected to reach 331,000 tonnes, a 3 per cent increase from previous estimates.
