The results of an independent survey conducted last month to gauge the views of New Zealand's kiwifruit growers towards existing industry structures have revealed strong support for the single-desk status of export marketer Zespri and for the overall performance of both Zespri and industry body New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc (NZKGI).
The news will come as a blow to New Zealand-based exporter Turners & Growers, which in recent months has repeatedly called on the New Zealand government to deregulate the country's NZ$1.5bn (€771m) kiwifruit export industry and which has campaigned hard in recent months to encourage support for such a move among kiwifruit growers.
As reported in this morning's Bay of Plenty Times, 90 per cent of the 500 growers polled in the survey, which was conducted by market research firm Colmar Brunton, agreed that Zespri's special marketing status as a single point of entry (SPE) was critical to the future success of New Zealand's kiwifruit business.
A total of 85 per cent, meanwhile, said they believed orchard gate returns would fall either 'slightly' (13 per cent) or 'considerably' (72 per cent) were the SPE system to be revoked.
The report also reflected significant support for the way in which both organisations work, with 93 per cent of growers rating Zespri's overall performance as 'quite good' (52 per cent) or 'very good' (41 per cent), and 87 per cent rating NZKGI's overall performance as 'quite good' (58 per cent) or 'very good' 29 per cent.
'We were pretty sure from the feedback we receive and from talking to growers that we were accurately representing their views and that that support had changed little since the survey in 2007, when 84 per cent of growers were in suppport of the current industry structure,' commented NZKGI president Peter Ombler.
Zespri CEO Lain Jager told the Bay of Plenty Times the results were a clear endorsement of the way in which the industry is currently set up.
'What should be clear to the New Zealand public and the government is that the New Zealand kiwifruit industry is a vital and growing industry with NZ$1.5bn (€771m) in revenues annually,' he said.
This year's New Zealand kiwifruit harvest is already underway, with the first Gold volumes picked in the Bay of Plenty late last week, according to local reports.
Further reading:
NZ minister backs Zespri monopoly
Zespri accuses Turners & Growers
Signs of opposition to T&G kiwifruit plan
NZ apple growers pull up trees
Kiwifruit deregulation 'not on the agenda'
NZ kiwifruit Growers back Zespri
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