The New Zealand apple crop will return to form this season with one of the largest crops ever and record productivity.
“We have a very, very good crop because we have had a very good growing season in all the major regions with good rain, heat and flowering,” said Pipfruit NZ ceo Peter Beaven. “We have a real bounce-back crop this year and we expect it to be good quality.”
Beaven said he expects it will be one of the largest crops New Zealand has ever produced, packing out to a forecast 17.5 million 18kg boxes for export, some 15-17 per cent up on last season. Output is up to 60 tonnes per hectare compared to 45t 10 years ago. “This increase is pretty much across the board in terms of varieties,” he added. “There are some young plantings of Jazz coming on stream this year so volumes should increase from 1.4m cartons last year to 1.9m this year. We have a bounce-back crop of Braeburn, and Pink Lady will probably be about 25 per cent up on last year, which was an off year.”
The harvest is set to start in Hawkes Bay early next week with Royal Gala, and the first Cox will be harvested in the Nelson area at much the same time.
Looking towards their markets, Beaven admitted that there is concern among New Zealanders that Jazz, Pink Lady and Braeburn all arrive in the latter part of the southern hemisphere season.
“With the increase in Jazz and Pink Lady volumes, exporters will have to make sure they manage carefully total volumes of all three,” he said. “I am pleased to say exporters have been working very hard so far this year with each other.”
