New Zealand senders are extremely pleased with the quality of their Braeburn as early volumes hit the market. "The quality of Braeburn is the best in years and we are looking forward to a positive Braeburn selling season," said John Thompson of exporter Fresh NZ 2000.

"The volumes of Braeburn are just arriving into the markets and initial

sales are very strong. FNZ has always maintained that Braeburn is New Zealand's signature crop and this year looks like the season that will emphasise this."

However, the campaign for Royal Gala has been more challenging this year. "Quality has been affected by the large February rains that we had," said Thompson, although FNZ is happy with its sales position in regards to volumes sold.

It is a different story on price though, and while FNZ concedes that New Zealand still commands a premium over other southern hemisphere supply countries, price levels have been "disappointing."

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