Merger talks between New Zealand-based kiwifruit groups Satara Co-operative and EastPack have reportedly resumed more than two years after initial discussions fell through in the wake of the Psa outbreak.
National Business Review reported that the merged group is expected to account for between 27 per cent and 30 per cent of the country's kiwifruit volumes, with annual turnover of morethan NZ$112m.
'The merged company will be totally focused on grower-owners' needs, and in a better position to meet their expectations for quality processing, higher orchard gate returns, low packing prices and improvedreturn on investment,' Satara chairman Hendrik Pieters and EastPack chairman Ray Sharp said in a joint statement.
'We believe that by combining resources, we can reduce costs and operate more efficiently for the benefit of growers,' they added.
