Some 1.2 million cartons of New Zealand’s premium Jazz apples are forecast to be exported in 2009.
This growing season has produced a bumper crop from Enza’s Jazz apple and harvesting is nearly complete in Hawkes Bay, Nelson and Otago. Colour, skin finish, flavour and size are all extremely pleasing this year and the apples are in fine condition for delivery to northern hemisphere markets.
The northern hemisphere apple season is experiencing price pressure from record harvests in Europe and North America, as well as soft retail markets, due to the prevailing economic climate.
A statement from Enza said: “In this environment, Jazz has continued to deliver record prices and a significant premium over commodity apple varieties on the back of volumes that are doubling annually.
“Jazz has set a new benchmark for apple quality globally and pricing returns to growers are reflecting this. Jazz continually commands a significant premium for size over other apples in the market and has become increasingly important for both New Zealand and international orchards.”
Enza has achieved a seamless year-round supply of Jazz with major northern hemisphere retailers.
The variety has been rapidly embraced by international buyers due to its outstanding flavour profile, crunch, transportability and storage characteristics, and is already New Zealand’s fourth-largest export apple variety by volume.
Next year will see more than 2m cartons of Jazz sold through the world’s leading supermarket chains. The New Zealand growing season is supplemented by licensed growers in the northern hemisphere, which provides an important off-season revenue stream for Enza.
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